Abstract

While logistics facilities are getting “smarter” through innovative utilization of technology within them, the legal system still classifies them as “warehouse facilities”. As this gap between the services actually performed in the building and the classification of the building widens, it challenges the proper function of urban planning. This is because the starting point of the main function of urban planning, which arranges buildings and assigns appropriate types and sizes of infrastructure, is to recognize how buildings are actually being used. Due to regulations inconsistent with reality, circumventive logistics facilities are emerging, which will aggravate the failure of urban planning.
 Furthermore, being unaware of the actual use of a building means that it is difficult to prevent risks that may occur in the building. The frequent occurrence of fires in more technologically advanced distribution centers in recent years proves this. A critical aspect of the “smart” distribution center is that unlike a traditional “warehouse facility”, there are larger amounts of workers in the center who needs to be protected. Another issue is that often one “smart” distribution center could have multiple state-of-the-art facilities nested under one roof which causes an increased fire risk. In this way, various disasters occurring in the distribution center cannot be prevented.
 If delivery services using autonomous vehicles, drones, and robots become common, the way logistics services use urban space will change even more.
 Automated facilities will sort and pack, and 24-hour delivery mechanisms will arrive and depart. As technology expedites delivery time and diversifies items that can be delivered, the functions performed by “smart” distribution centers will become more complex. It is time to re-examine the building use regulation, which is the fundamental starting point for proper urban management and the development of the logistics industry.

Full Text
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