A Multi-Criteria Structure for Sustainable Implementation of Urban Distribution Centers in Historical Cities

Nayara Louise de Carvalho,José Geraldo Vidal Vieira,Maxim A. Dulebenets,Paula Nakamura da Fonseca

doi:10.3390/su12145538

Abstract

This paper proposes a structure for sustainable implementation of urban distribution centers (UDCs) in historical cities, considering the opinion of the main stakeholders involved in the urban distribution of goods and a set of additional criteria. Based on a survey that was conducted among carriers, traffic wardens, and retailers, a decision hierarchy structure, consisting of the relevant criteria evaluated by various statistical techniques, will be used for sustainable implementation of UDCs. The methodology uses a database collected in the historical center of Ouro Preto, a Brazilian city which contains common characteristics of other Latin American and some European cities that are included in the World Heritage List. This structure is unique, as it is based on a survey among the main stakeholders, and can be applied by logistics operators and local authorities for implementing UDCs to address urban distribution issues, especially in historical cities. However, without loss of generality, the proposed methodology can be adopted for different cities using the appropriate criteria according to the characteristics of the cities.

Highlights

The complexity of the urban distribution of goods is shown by the increase in the movement and delivery rate of goods, which result in traffic congestion and negative impacts on the city’s residents and on the environment [1]
The objective of the present research is to propose a structure for sustainable implementation of distribution centers in historical cities, considering the opinion of carriers, traffic wardens and retailers
While the latest studies have discussed the importance of certain criteria to implement urban distribution centers (UDCs) in historical cities [4,5], including the residents’ opinion, the present study proposes an innovative methodological approach, which is inspired by the statistical techniques and Multiple-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) concepts, to provide a generic structure that can be applied for implementing UDCs in historical cities

Summary

Introduction

The complexity of the urban distribution of goods is shown by the increase in the movement and delivery rate of goods, which result in traffic congestion and negative impacts on the city’s residents and on the environment [1]. In the centers and outskirts of large cities, the issue is even more severe because there is an assortment of small retailers, narrow streets [2] and a high concentration of pedestrians [3], as well as in heritage cities, where there are clusters of historical buildings and tourists [4,5]. In both cases, local authorities have usually implemented regulations, such as delivery time windows, delivery zones, vehicle weight and size, congestion charges, low-emission zones, pick-up deliveries and other restrictions for the central areas [6]. There are many details to be addressed, including the following: (a) What the interests of the main stakeholders involved are; (b) which criteria should be considered

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion