City logistics initiatives aimed at improving sustainability within existing context of urban area

Abstract

City is the place of the largest concentration of economic and social activities, and the delivery of goods is a prerequisite for the maintenance of urban life and business activities for achieving wealth and development of the city. Logistics systems and processes that enable the realization of commodity flows support employment and generate income, but may also have negative impacts on all essential functions of the city. Therefore, logistics plays an important role in the competitiveness of urban areas and should be an integral part of the city's economy. From the perspective of sustainable development, i.e. social, environmental and economic efficiency, logistics processes primarily urban freight transport, are far from optimal. The growth of road freight transport and traffic congestion, air pollution and other negative impacts on the environment, inefficient use of land and the rising costs of delivery of goods affect the definition and exploration of different initiatives of city logistics. This paper describes the initiatives that do not require large infrastructure investments and do not change the existing urban context, but can improve its sustainability.