Urban Consolidation Research Articles

Locations of LTL-logistics service providers as urban consolidation centers – the Dusseldorf case and its possible transferability

ABSTRACT Proximity logistics represent a counter movement to logistics sprawl – the return of logistics to urban areas. In the case presented, a logistics service provider in the groupage and less-than-truckload (LTL) segment runs an urban consolidation center (UCC), offers receiver-led consolidation and additional service like stockholding to inner-city businesses in the city of Dusseldorf. The case shows that for the development of a UCC or a proximity logistics facility to succeed, no expensive space is necessarily required in immediate inner-city areas. The transfer to other locations of logistics service providers of the same segment shows that these could serve as possible locations for UCC in terms of cargo-bike relevant distances. We, therefore, conclude that the relevant locations of logistics infrastructure like ports and centrally located logistics facilities should be seen as crucial for the transformation to sustainable freight transport and its initiation by municipal governments.

Factors affecting public support for the development of urban consolidation center: The case of hanoi city, Vietnam

Urban consolidation centres (UCCs) have become an integral part of the city logistics system. This study aims to identify factors influencing public support for the implementation of UCC in Hanoi City, Vietnam. In essence, the authors assess whether UCC are perceived as essential elements contributing to the sustainable development of the city logistics system of Hanoi. To accomplish such objectives, the study employed a data sample from an extensive empirical survey, including142 representatives from freight transport companies and logistics services providers, traffic management authorities, and research institutions in transportation and logistics fields. The key findings indicate that anticipated positive effects on transport organization significantly enhance public support for the development of UCC in Hanoi. However, the study suggests that concerns regarding the impact of UCCs on urban road safety do not appear to significantly influence public support. Interestingly, the study also reveals that barriers to UCC implementation have minimal influence on public support for UCC development. In summary, this study represents an initial step towards establishing a decision support system for city logistics measures, with a specific focus on the UCC initiative in Vietnam.

Assessing the viability of parking slot utilization as transhipment points for parcel carriers: a case study in Barcelona

AbstractThe measures proposed in the sustainable and smart mobility strategy developed by the European commission are crucial for achieving the environmental objectives for 2030. This strategy includes measures specifically aimed at reducing the impact of e-commerce distribution. One widely adopted strategy for mitigating the impact of e-commerce distribution is the establishment of urban consolidation centres (UCCs). While this infrastructure quickly demonstrates its environmental success in urban areas, achieving long-term economic sustainability proves challenging. In this paper, we introduce a methodology aimed at incentivizing parcel carriers to shift towards an economically feasible and environmentally sustainable distribution mode within urban areas by leveraging their own transhipment space. This methodology includes a mathematical program for determining the quantity and locations of parking slots, taking into account the number of parcels and transportation vehicles used. It also utilizes the Continuous Approximation technique to assess the transportation and environmental costs of the proposed solutions. The proposed methodology is implemented for the city of Barcelona, considering three different sizes of parcel carriers: the carrier handling the largest volume of parcels, the carrier handling the lowest volume of parcels, and an intermediate case. The vehicles considered for delivery from the transhipment points include vans, cargo bikes, and trolleys for distribution on foot. The results indicate that a significant reduction in both transport and environmental costs is achieved when using zero-emissions vehicles for delivery from transhipment points for any of the parcel carriers considered.

Assessing the benefits of urban consolidation centres: an overview based on a systematic literature review

ABSTRACT Urban consolidation centres (UCC) have often been highlighted as a solution to reducing freight vehicle kilometres, emissions, and congestion in urban areas. However, previous studies have presented vastly different results regarding the environmental and social benefits when UCCs are implemented. Therefore, this study aims to provide an overview of research on the sustainability assessment of UCCs, to describe dominant themes, and identify why assessments differ. A systematic literature review approach employing a content analysis was used to create the overview and identify the dominant themes in the quantification of the sustainability benefits of UCCs. As a complement, a cross-case analysis was applied to compare the results and to identify underlying differences between the studies. The content analysis revealed three dominant themes, relating to: (i) modelling aspects, (ii) different UCC set-ups, and (iii) the different performance measurements applied. Furthermore, improved consolidation is often described as the largest environmental benefit of implementing UCCs but our results show that the largest benefit can be found in switching to more environmentally friendly vehicles. However, the cross-case analysis revealed difficulties in determining the benefits of implementing UCCs because the assessment of benefits differ vastly between studies. These differences can be explained by the different scope of the system and whether or not other measures were implemented alongside a UCC. This review also highlights seven important gaps in the research that can be used to guide future research, such as a lack of methodological diversity, since most studies employ mathematical modelling, as well as a lack of transparency regarding input and output data. This is a barrier when evaluating the benefits of introducing UCCs.

Procurement of last-mile delivery capacity: a reverse auction mechanism considering logistics service quality

ABSTRACT The increasing demand for last-mile delivery has created a challenge for urban consolidation centers (UCCs). Due to UCC’s limited delivery capacity, it has to purchase spare capacity from carriers. In the procurement, the UCC cannot observe the carriers’ efforts, resulting in low-quality logistics services. Thus, we propose a reverse auction mechanism considering logistics service quality (LSQ) for the UCC’s procurement of last-mile delivery capacity. First, we construct the benchmark of the mechanism by introducing the LSQ in last-mile delivery and presenting a reverse auction. Then, we develop an auction model with ideas of ensuring the UCC’s incentive and awarding business to the carriers who deliver high-quality services. The case study shows that the proposed mechanism is an efficient procurement tool for the UCC with a guarantee of LSQ, and the UCC will benefit from the proposed mechanism by significant total cost saving as well as effective use of resources.

Exploring the setup and development of receiver-led Urban Consolidation Centres in The Netherlands

Urban Consolidation Centres (UCCs) are often put forward as a solution to reduce the negative impact of freight transport on cities. However, few UCCs have so far successfully attracted sufficient volume to become viable. Receivers of goods can potentially be effective initiators of a UCC, due to their buying power. The purpose of this research is to learn how receiver-led consolidation initiatives develop. We use qualitative data on four receiver-led UCCs in The Netherlands to understand the success factors and challenges in various stages of development. Our research shows that receivers can help during the start-up stage of a UCC, when they have a large volume of goods, can convince internal stakeholders, and are willing to pay or can make suppliers pay. However, receiver-led UCCs still face challenges related to growth in the later stages and require continuous effort to attract volume.

A clustering-routing approach for assigning customers to depots in last mile delivery

The distribution of goods in crowded city centres is a major challenge today. To address this problem, two-tier or multi-tier distribution systems have been proposed to consolidate parcels flow in intermediary depots such as for instance urban consolidation centres (UCCs). In this paper, we focus on both assigning customers to depots and evaluating the impact of depots’ location. To address these problems, we propose a two-step approach: first, a k-means clustering algorithm is used to group customers’ demand, secondly, a vehicle routing heuristic evaluates the clusters in terms of number of vehicles (i.e. number of routes) and total distance travelled to serve all customers. Experiments are carried out using this approach on real instances of customers’ demand in the city of Bordeaux. Lastly, we analyze the results of the parcels’ distribution in this city centre and compare two situations in terms of vehicle routing: on the one hand, the situation based on existing and operational depots (i.e. real depots) and, on the other hand, the situation exploiting the depots located in the theoretical centre of the clusters (i.e. k-means depots).

How path dependent urban morphology restricts the effectiveness of rezoning for urban consolidation: Lessons from Brisbane, Australia

ABSTRACT Existing urban morphology trajectories influence how planning interventions shape future development. Here, we use six purposefully selected neighborhoods, encompassing 10,519 individual properties, to analyze parcel-specific land use, zoning, and property boundary change over seven decades, to better understand the transformation of Brisbane, Australia. Our findings demonstrate the difficulty of overcoming the path dependency of urban morphology when attempting to deliver a contemporary goal of densifying existing urban areas. We highlight the need to tailor land use policy to specific neighborhoods by considering the differences in their existing urban morphology. This is particularly relevant when seeking to achieve densification in both regular, gridded neighborhoods and post–World War II suburbs with motorway infrastructure, neighborhood units and internal, curvilinear streets.

Analyzing the benefits of a city hub: An inventory and routing perspective

Collaboration is one of the crucial elements in city logistics and it is often pursued by the introduction of two- or multi-echelon systems using one or more intermediate consolidation points, such as Urban Consolidation Centers (UCCs), city depots, city hubs, etc. Our literature review shows that the study of inventory aspects in such a context is relatively unexplored. Therefore, this paper studies the effect of using a UCC or city hub in a B2B city logistics system in terms of both inventory and routing aspects. A multi-period optimization model is proposed to support the operational decisions in urban B2B distribution when using a city hub. We study the effect of introducing a city hub by comparing our model with a baseline model in which urban retailers operate without a city hub. The model accounts for the complexity of urban logistics by considering a heterogeneous vehicle fleet, the option to perform multiple trips per day, and strict customer time windows. A metaheuristic algorithm based on Large Neighborhood Search (LNS) is used to solve the route optimization problem for realistic problem instances. Extensive numerical experiments are conducted according to an experimental design and a statistical analysis. Results indicate that the introduction of a city hub leads to significant reductions in operational costs and societal impacts (e.g., loading degree, number of urban trips, traveled distances). Our analysis shows that these savings are significantly impacted by the problem context (e.g., replenishment policy, number of retailers, number of suppliers, and holding cost). For example, how retailers make replenishment decisions significantly impacts the costs of the overall system and the potential savings. The most cost-efficient replenishment method is often not the most interesting one from a societal perspective. Finally, from a city’s perspective, a sufficient number of retailers and suppliers should participate in the system to maximize consolidation opportunities. However, in relative terms, the largest potential savings by introducing a city hub are reached when not too many suppliers are included and suppliers have a relatively limited number of customers to serve.

Private-led land assembly and urban consolidation: The relative influence of regulatory zoning mechanisms

From the time a city is first subdivided, its structure of lots act as a precursor to all future redevelopment, forming the spatial bounds of land ownership that force buildings to develop and evolve in their place. It is therefore critical for planning systems that intend to contain urban sprawl to encourage the lot superstructure to adapt to the emerging needs of a city. This study assesses the role that existing regulatory planning mechanisms play in directing the spatial distribution and frequency of private developer-led land assembly. Drawing on two inner city local government areas in Melbourne, Australia, this research analyses the relative influence of local zone-led development controls on the occurrence of land assembly over an eleven-year period. A descriptive spatial analysis and global logistic regression model reveal that an interplay of maximum height restrictions, existing plot boundaries, and sales prices, have led to a disordered distribution of parcel amalgamations. A geographically weighted logistic regression model highlights spatial variation in the influence of these factors, with small lots in the inner city being subject to the least influence of development controls. The results are supplemented by a small sample of interviews with local planners and developers, who suggest that regulatory planning controls inadvertently turn desired built form outcomes into a tool for capital appreciation and landowner holdouts. In combination, the findings suggest that zone-led development controls do little to influence market forces in a manner that induces private-led land assembly in favour of the public good.

An Investigation of the Densification Process of the Residential Areas of Dhaka

Dhaka is one of the most densely populated megacities of the world with demography of over 20 million people. With an annual population growth rate of 4.2% Dhaka is set to face the challenges of habitat crisis, lack of communal facilities, and constant pressure on transportation and infrastructure. In response to the demand of the rapidly growing population and scarcity of developable land, urban consolidation through vertical expansion was carried out without any proper diagnosis of the sites or any contextually appropriate densification policy. The unguided nature of densification not only brought a transformation in the urban landscape but also in the built form itself by infusing the concept of compactness into them. The compactness of multi-storied dwellings is often found to compromise with the livability condition posing questions on residential sustainability. Drawing on three residential areas of varied density, age and, settlement type this paper, therefore attempts to investigate the trend of densification of the densifying residential areas of Dhaka in terms of the spatial quality of the built form its effect on the built environment. Key methods of data collection employed extensive field surveys, observations, measurements, map analysis, satellite imagery analysis, interviews with officials, and block surveys for detailed analysis of FAR, land coverage in plot and block level, height, land use pattern, and other design aspects of the built form. The survey findings were analyzed through descriptive statistical methods including frequency distribution and presented through tables, charts, and cross-analysis charts contributing to a better understanding of the ongoing trend of densification. The findings indicate that the spatial quality of the built environment was largely compromised in terms of inadequate ventilation and solar access, loss of acoustic and visual privacy, obstruction of view, and leftover unusable open spaces. However, the interior dwelling spaces conforming to the acceptable standard is suggestive of a moderate degree of urban consolidation. By investigating how urban densification has transformed the urban fabric and residential environment, the study reveals the unintended consequences of unguided densification in Dhaka.

A Methodology for Planning City Logistics Concepts Based on City-Dry Port Micro-Consolidation Centres

The purpose of this study is to conceptualize a novel idea of potentially sustainable city logistics concepts—the development of urban consolidation centers (UCCs) on riverbanks and the establishment of city-dry port (DP) micro-consolidation centers (MCCs) as their displaced subsystems within the delivery zone. The concept enables the application of river transportation in delivering goods to the UCC, where the modal shift to electric delivery vehicles takes place for delivering goods to city-DP MCCs. In the final delivery phase (from city-DP MCCs to flow generators), smaller eco-vehicles are utilized. An innovative methodology for the planning and selection of the most sustainable concept variant is developed. The methodology combines mathematical programming and the axial-distance-based aggregated measurement (ADAM) multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) method. The application of the defined approach is demonstrated in a case study inspired by Belgrade, Serbia. The theoretical contribution of this study is in demonstrating how a wide set of potentially viable city logistics concepts can be defined, starting from an initial idea (city-DP MCC). The practical contribution lies in developing a robust methodology that considers all relevant tactical and operational-level planning questions and takes into account qualitative and quantitative criteria in evaluating different concept variants.

GOVERNANCE OF STRATA BUILDINGS FOR URBAN CONSOLIDATION IN MALAYSIA

The need for urban consolidation is very necessary in helping the cities to be more dynamic in term of transformation, transparency and technology. Although the role of strata buildings in Malaysia is increasing, nevertheless this issue has been less explored. The continuous growth of strata buildings indicates the need for effective property management system that promotes and nurtures value that would create high quality of living. Currently, none of Malaysia’s city is listed in the City Momentum Index; which one of the criteria is strong governance and planning. Therefore, the need for strata building for urban consolidation is vital for governance and management in practice. The underpinning of this study is to assess the current law and practice at federal level and evaluate with the industrial practice. A key component of this research is to formulate the best practice of governance in term of policy for strata buildings in Malaysia. The issues that circling the governance matters will be identified and further researched. Moreover, the effectiveness of Strata Title Act 1985 (Act 318) and Strata Management Act 2013 (Act 757) are also needed to be evaluated in the current practice of strata buildings in Malaysia. Furthermore, the role of Commissioner of Buildings, Joint Management Body and developer as administrator who bears the responsibility to carry out the provisions of the Act also need to reconcile to ensure good governance of strata buildings in Malaysia.

Last mile distribution using cargo bikes: a simulation study in Padova

The recent growth of e-Commerce has induced an increasing freight demand, which could lead to negative externalities, in particular in urban areas. To foster sustainable development of cities and increase their livability, many local authorities are implementing urban vehicle access regulations, such as low-emission zones, banning the circulation of polluting vehicles. These measures prompted the adoption of new sustainable freight transport solutions for last mile deliveries, such as cargo bikes. The aim of this paper is to describe the study for the implementation of such a system. The procedure was tested (1) to define the location of a transshipment facility where parcels are moved from vans to cargo bikes, (2) to estimate the environmental and economic sustainability of the system, and (3) to quantify the effects of uncertainty in the final results. The framework was applied to the city center of Padova (Italy), where two sets of delivery system were considered: the first with traditional vans starting from an existing urban consolidation center and the second with manual and electric cargo bikes starting from a micro-depot. In particular, demand of home deliveries was estimated for a typical weekday; routes of freight transport means were defined by an optimization procedure; these data were used as input to a Discrete Event Simulation model. A sensitivity analysis was carried out modelling the potential uncertainty associated with load/unload times and travel speed of means, due to traffic congestion. Several scenarios were tested considering three locations as potential transshipment points. Outcomes of the simulations were used to estimate key performance indicators, evaluating the environmental and economic effects of the two delivery schemes. Results highlighted the potentiality of cargo bikes as a sustainable delivery system, and the impacts of uncertainty on the ranking of alternative options (i.e. micro-hubs).

Urban Consolidation in Australia's Four Largest Capital Cities: Tangible Outcomes of Inner-city Apartment Developments and Their Implications for Urban Planners

Urban consolidation has become dominant practice in metropolitan planning across Australia’s four largest capital cities – Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth – as a result of the escalating need to manage rapid population growth and limit urban expansion. The strategic push for higher-density residential dwellings, such as apartment complexes, around strategic infill locations and activity centres is partly in response to the rising demand for more diversity in Australia’s housing stock. Supplementary factors include demographic shifts, cultural changes, and ongoing concerns regarding housing affordability, liveability, accessibility and climate change. Although this style of development has been at the forefront of state government planning agendas for at least a decade, presently little is understood about the outcomes of inner-city apartment buildings, particularly in Perth, as most of the research on modern infill projects in Australia focuses on Sydney and Melbourne.The primary aim of this research is, therefore, to investigate the outcomes of high- Density inner-city apartment developments for residents, the community and urban planners within Australia’s four largest capital cities, with a particular focus on Perth. The research is informed by a review of academic and government literature concerning infill and apartment developments in the specified cities, as well as a case study of a recently constructed apartment building in one of Perth’s main activity centres, Fremantle. The study found that state and local governments are not always achieving ‘good density’, nor are they developing apartment buildings that engender positive outcomes for both residents and the community. Some of the challenges that must be overcome if this is to change include designing apartments that cater to the needs of a diverse population, getting state governments to provide more support for local councils, and engaging earlier and more effectively with local communities. The research findings provide council planners with a better understanding of the challenges faced by residents in new apartment buildings, as well as the difficulties of meeting community expectations and planning ‘good density’, so that future planning policies and urban development can be more suitably informed.

Optimizing the location selection of urban consolidation centers with sustainability considerations in the city of Bordeaux

The delivery of parcels in city centers is nowadays a topical issue and a major challenge for the local authorities. In this paper, we tackle the parcels distribution network in the city of Bordeaux. This city is at the very beginning of the process of moving from direct deliveries towards city center, to a more rational organization based on joint deliveries. We focus on the potential contributions of a two-tier distribution system made up of warehouses, proximity logistics spaces and intermediate depots so-called urban consolidation centers (UCCs). We seek to optimize the costs of the distribution network (i.e. transport and UCCs) and the selection of UCCs, while assessing the impact in terms of sustainable development by measuring CO2 emissions. We analyze and compare different scenarios using different deliveries' variants (with or without UCCs), different total UCCs capacities and different truck speeds. The findings demonstrate the benefits of using UCCs for city center distribution. The reductions in total cost and CO2 are most significant when the size of the UCCs is balanced with the total deliveries demands.

Out of the box: the hidden impacts of urban consolidation and apartment living on households with children, and future implications: a Sydney case study

ABSTRACT This article examines the impacts of urban consolidation and apartment living on households with children in the contexts of housing choice and affordability, liveability, and children’s spontaneous outdoor play through a case study in the Lane Cove LGA, Sydney. It challenges ideals and planning presumptions built into urban consolidation, and the current approach to housing provision based on ‘housing targets’. The analysis is primarily derived from comparative qualitative resident interviews, supplemented by fieldwork and policy analysis. Findings suggest that urban consolidation in its current form effectively works against households with children directly and indirectly, with various flow-on effects. It is suggested a reframing is required, particularly in the context of housing diversity, in order to significantly improve outcomes for this household type.

Model of Priority Ranking of Cadastral Parcels for Planning the Implementation of Urban Consolidation

The paper proposes a Model of priority ranking of cadastral parcels for planning the implementation of urban consolidation, which is a continuation of the published research on the assessment of fragmentation and assessment bonitet values of cadastral parcels. The research deals with one segment of the Spatial Decision Support System and is one process in the planning of urban consolidation. Comparison criteria were identified for the evaluation and priority ranking of cadastral parcels. The subject of the research is private cadastral parcels in the area of large public project construction. The goal of the research is to find the optimal way to compare conflicting and incomparable criteria for the evaluation of private cadastral parcels and, at the same time, a way of fitting the opinions of stakeholders in the implementation planning process of urban consolidation. Due to the complexity of the task and realizing certain spatial criteria, unique models were developed. Special attention was paid to the participatory approach to problem-solving, in which all groups of stakeholders were identified, and the way of expressing their views was defined. The Complex proportional assessment (COPRAS) method and the Analytic Hierarchy Process method (AHP) methods were used to solve the problem. The defined models were tested in the field of construction of a large public project Campus at the University of Split.

Digital Twin opportunities and benefits in last-mile logistics for Madrid value case

The growth of the city's population and the COVID-19 crisis has increased the need to improve last-mile logistics in transportation. Many stakeholders such as policymakers, logistics operators and shippers have to collaborate to improve environmental, economic, and social performance indicators. This paper investigates the opportunities in last-mile logistics and the benefits that can be achieved by balancing all the city stakeholders' needs using Digital Twins technology. To that end, we focused on the Madrid Living Lab that sets up an Urban Consolidation Centre (UCC) located in underground public parking in the city centre, surrounded by the Madrid Low Emissions Zone (LEZ). Madrid defines cases and scenarios to understand business policies and improve decisions, such as shifting the UCC's location and defining new Low Emission Zones.

Urban Consolidation Centers – Insights from a Design Thinking perspective

The logistics system in urban environments is already stressed and freight forwarders are forced to meet customers' increased expectations for speed and flexibility in deploying an increasing number of vehicles with smaller load capacity which increases congestion. Several projects have been undertaken in recent decades to address urban logistics issues, and various types of urban consolidation centers (UCC) have been introduced and tested. Most of them indicate that there is both an economic as well as an ecological upside to these systems. However very few of these projects have survived after the public funding has ended. The aim of this investigation was to identify insights and recommendations for future UCC pilots using Design Thinking as a process to investigate multi-stakeholder perspectives.