Urban Freight Transport Planning Research Articles

Understanding urban logistics and consumer behavior in São Paulo city

Making deliveries of Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) to small retailers in dense areas is a challenge. This has different levels of impact between high-income and low-income neighborhoods. They are more evident in megacities in developing countries, where there is a clear division between classes. On the one hand, governments do not attend low-income neighborhoods where there are many unsafe areas, lack of planning, and infrastructure that hinders FMCG deliveries. On the other hand, traffic regulations in high-income neighborhoods make delivery processes more complex. This paper aims to analyze urban logistics, comparing low- and high-income areas in São Paulo city taking into account local markets, consumer buying behavior, and the distribution process. To achieve this, a questionnaire in loco was applied to the stakeholders involved (consumers, small retailers, and carriers). The data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics. The results from small retailers, consumers, and carriers reveal that in their point of view the delivery of products is different between Base of the Pyramid (BOP) and high-income consumers (HIC). Factors such as ‘time window regulation’ and ‘infrastructure of neighborhoods’ hinder the delivery of products from companies to small retailers in regions of HIC, while in BOP regions small retailers' security and infrastructure are the major problems from the point of view of the actors. Consumer behavior poses an important factor to guide urban freight transport planning in both regions.

ROAD FREIGHT TRANSPORT PLANNING UNDER SUSTAINABLE CITY DEVELOPMENT

This research paper devoted to the urban freight transport planning under sustainable city development. Continued urban population growth, traffic congestions, financial losses because of longer delivery times, harm-ful impact on environmental are highlighted as strong arguments for the freight traffic management in the cities. The article aims to help all stakeholders understand the challenges brought about by freight activities in an urban context, and make the planning process consistent and comprehensive for the city freight transportation system improvement. The brief overview of some recent foreign and native studies in urban transport planning and traffic engi-neering reveals main field of interests for modern researchers. The clear focus of the analysed scientific works di-rected on such aspects in sustainable urban freight transport development as energy and economic efficiency, eco-friendliness, safety, institutional and legal issues of freight transportations. Special attention is paid to the analy-sis of government initiatives in sustainable transport system development of Ukraine. Identification of the main freight transportation features in an urban area is carried out on the initial re-search stage. Each feature has an explanation for better understanding necessity of their usage in the freight transport planning process. The other focus of the research devotes to the description of the stages during urban freight transport planning process. Author attends a deep freight transport demand and supply analysis for a de-termination of the basic freight distribution regularities in an urban context. Therefore, a list of indicators for subsystem of city freight transportation evaluation is presented in the article. The whole set of indicators is divid-ed into economical, operational, environmental, social and general groups of indicators. Moreover, the compo-nents of successful measures implementation for an urban freight transport subsystem improvement are highlight-ed. Financial management, political support, institution, organisation and legal framework condition are consid-ered as the key elements of successful plans and measures implementation. Keywords: planning, sustainable development, freight transport, urban population, authorities.

Prioritisation of city logistics solutions based on stakeholders' point of view

Using the methods of successive intervals, this paper assesses prioritisation of city logistics solutions by considering the viewpoints of carriers, retailers, and shippers. The group of solutions evaluated include truck lanes, urban distribution centres, parking areas, off-peak deliveries, and real-time information. Results suggest that truck lanes are the most important and off-peak delivery the least important solution according to stakeholders. Brazilian municipalities and urban planners can use these results to subsidise decisions regarding urban mobility master plans due to a lack of studies that support urban freight transport planning. Urban freight transport will thus become more efficient, reducing externalities associated with this field.

Prioritisation of city logistics solutions based on stakeholders' point of view

Using the methods of successive intervals, this paper assesses prioritisation of city logistics solutions by considering the viewpoints of carriers, retailers, and shippers. The group of solutions evaluated include truck lanes, urban distribution centres, parking areas, off-peak deliveries, and real-time information. Results suggest that truck lanes are the most important and off-peak delivery the least important solution according to stakeholders. Brazilian municipalities and urban planners can use these results to subsidise decisions regarding urban mobility master plans due to a lack of studies that support urban freight transport planning. Urban freight transport will thus become more efficient, reducing externalities associated with this field.

Application of Piecewise Linear Approximation Method for the Estimation of Origin-Destination Matrix

This paper presents a Mixed-Integer Programming Model for the urban freight transport planning problem through the estimation of the Origin-Destination Matrix. The Origin-Destination Matrix is used to know the pattern of travel or vehicle flow between different zones of a city and is estimated from the counting of vehicles on the routes of a road network. For the estimation of the Origin-Destination Matrix, the Entropy Maximization approach is applied. This approach is based on a non-linear optimization model. In order to overcome this difficulty, an optimization model based on the Piecewise Linear Approximation Method is proposed. To test the proposed model, an instance was built based on a road network of a real case. The proposed model obtained good results in a reduced computational time, demonstrating its usefulness for the urban freight transport planning.

A Decision Support Tool for Urban Freight Transport Planning Based on a Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithm

Fil: Miguel, Fabio Maximilian. Universidad Nacional de Rio Negro. Sede Alto Valle. Sub Sede Villa Regina; Argentina

Framework for urban freight transport analysis in medium-sized cities

Abstract The urbanization process, especially the diverse aspects regarding size, function, position and growth of cities, significantly affect the Urban Freight Transport (UFT). This paper deals with behaviour of UFT in medium-sized cities. Here we will identify the attributes that characterize the Medium-sized Cities (MC), as well as the influence factors in UFT. In addition, a survey among specialists and public agents of medium-sized cities is presented, about the level of interaction between attributes that characterize MC and the factors that influence UFT. For analysis and validation of the opinion survey is performed non-parametric statistical test, and an analysis of the confidence interval to define the level of interaction between attributes and UFT factors. As a result, we provide a framework that demonstrates the interaction between attributes of MC and the factors that influence UFT. The factors “Projects and measures of local authorities”, and “Infrastructure available to the UFT”, together with the lack of studies related to freight transport (knowledge, innovation and technological advancement) were identified as the main issues that require attention on UFT in MC. This proposal may contribute to the decision makers regarding urban planning and brings a theoretical contribution to future research in UFT planning studies.

Private Public Collaboration on Logistics in Norwegian Cities

This paper presents conclusions from a survey among urban freight actors in the four biggest cities in Norway (Oslo, Bergen, Stavanger and Trondheim). The survey focus on logistic operations and transport decisions affecting the city logistics. In the studied cities we found that there is lack of emphasis on urban logistics and urban freight transport planning. The survey indicates that the missing focus on logistic activities is due to lack of co-ordination among actors involved in urban logistics, and often insufficient dialogue between city authorities and private actors who operate in the cities. Representatives from the industries do not always understand the municipal planning processes and on which level of bureaucracy the plans are accomplished.To solve challenges a suggestion related to urban logistics and collaboration among private and public actors is to develop structured Urban Logistic Plans. A part of such plans should be the involvement of all stakeholders in the exploitation and processes of development. The stakeholders must also be involved in policy development and strategic planning processes. The survey indicates that congestion and access to centrally located loading and unloading zones are the biggest problem for freight transport in Norwegian urban areas. From the industry, there is a request that loading and unloading zones must be incorporated as part of land use plans.It was also stressed that local authorities must include plans for goods deliveries in line with services from taxi and public transport in sustainable urban mobility plans (SUMPs).

Introducing Elements of Due Diligence in Sustainable Urban Freight Transport Planning

This paper presents the findings from a Delphi study that has investigated the feasibility of local authorities adopting an updated transport planning process that incorporates the concept of due diligence. The Delphi panel consisted of twenty experts representing local authorities, academia and other relevant freight stakeholders from Sweden, the United Kingdom (UK), Germany, France and The Netherlands that were engaged via email survey. This resulted in the development of a refined theoretical framework that enables freight to be fully considered in local authority transport planning.

The assessment of pollutants emissions within sustainable urban freight transport development: The case of Novi Sad

Assessment of pollutant emissions is a prerequisite for planning and development of sustainable urban transport systems. Majority of extant studies on sustainable urban transport is focused on pollution caused by urban passenger transport, with marked paucity of literature on the impact of urban freight transport. To partly bridge this gap, the paper objective is the impact assessment of selected regulative measures, i.e. fleet renewal on freight transport emissions. We used the case of Novi Sad to estimate the potential impact of selected restrictive measures on the external freight transport air pollution. To the best of our knowledge, this is one of the first studies on impact of urban freight transport on the air pollution in the cities in the Balkan region. Several research findings are of interest. Firstly, the analysis of particular gas emissions reveals expected overall positive effects of the fleet renewal in most of cases. Still, the total amount of same emissions hardly increase, so this particular measure is not enough to reach the ambitious EU strategy goals concerned with sustainable urban freight transport. Further, some negative impacts of restrictive measures on gas emissions were also recorded and discussed. The observed complex impact of restrictive measures on urban freight air pollution indicates that urban freight transport planning and modeling requires a comprehensive database, clear goals and higher priority of environmental criterion in traffic planning. Our results and recommendations may be useful for scholars, urban transport planners, policy makers and practitioners.

A comparative study of urban freight transport planning: addressing stakeholder needs

Over the last decade, research in the area of urban freight transport has increased and local authorities are slowly beginning to acknowledge the need to consider freight in their overall transport planning. Most urban freight studies to date consider specific solutions and measures, as opposed to ways in which the local authorities could and should consider this issue in the wider transport planning and decision making process. The aim of this paper is to examine cities that differ in context in order to demonstrate that urban freight transport planning can be improved by involving a wider range of stakeholders. Interview data from Sweden, the UK and the Baltic Sea Region has been analysed to draw out the factors that influence the perceptions of local authorities and freight operators of freight transport issues in urban areas. The findings show that the issues faced by the freight industry are still not fully understood. The paper contradicts earlier research results that suggest differences in the ways that local authorities consider freight transport, and goes some way towards demonstrating that the problems faced by local authorities are not unique to one country or any specific category of urban area, and hence a generic decision-making framework would be of value. A framework is developed to facilitate meaningful interaction between the various urban freight actors and stakeholders.

Challenges in urban freight transport planning – a review in the Baltic Sea Region

Freight transport in urban areas is still not well understood and there is no methodology aimed at the analysis and planning of such areas. To achieve urban sustainability, new models for the management of urban freight movements are needed, in which local authorities play a pro-active role. The aim of this paper is to contribute to lay the groundwork for designing strategies to overcome the challenges involved in sustainable urban freight transport. This paper is based on a multiple-case study analysing the current state of urban freight transport and current planning practices in cities around the Baltic Sea. While the cities differ in size, economy, and political and cultural frameworks, the transport sector plays a strong role in all cities. In-depth freight interviews with public and private stakeholders were conducted and complemented with several holistic interview sessions and document analysis. Potentials and shortcomings in urban freight transport planning are presented and the results show that freight transport is increasingly important for regional competitiveness while freight traffic is a growing threat for urban sustainability. In turn, the urban context is a barrier for efficient freight operations. However, both local authorities and transport operators neglect the problems that arise from freight in urban areas. An overall awareness is needed to understand that a deeper integration of freight transport and urban sustainability strategies can be beneficial for both the efficiency of freight transport networks and for local sustainability. City authorities need more logistics competence to facilitate the required integration between private and public actors.

How Local Authority Decision Makers Address Freight Transport in the Urban Area

Freight transport in urban areas is not as efficient as it could be. Since freight transport has a large proportion of emissions from traffic, this is an area that needs to be addressed by all actors involved. Freight transport has in recent years gained a more important role in urban planning in large cities in Europe. However, the medium and small cities also need to address the problem in the decision making process. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate how Swedish small and medium sized cities deal with urban freight transport and to frame the problem of urban freight transport planning from a local authority perspective. Interviews with and questionnaires to decision makers are the basis for the evaluation of the possibilities for countering the challenge. City logistic schemes implemented in a large city are not always suitable for a smaller city and maybe not even for another city of the same size. The contribution of this paper is two-fold. A process planning model is presented based on the results, which is a practical tool for local authority decision makers in their planning process, but it is also a theoretical contribution, valuable for future research in urban freight transport planning studies.

City Logistics

This paper proposes an idea of city logistics for optimising urban freight transport by takinginto account the environment, the congestion and energy consumption. The basic concepts of city logistics as well as some measures of city logistics with examples are presented. The paper also describes modelling the vehicle routing and scheduling of pickup/delivery trucks and the optimal location of logistics terminals for evaluating the city logistics schemes. Moreover, the future perspectives concerning urban freight transport planning are presented.