Monthly archives: September, 2022

Establishing bike logistics in urban areas: experiences from entrepreneurs and local policy actors

A research paper by Karolina Isaksson and Jens Alm aims to deepen the insights into specific policy and planning prerequisites that affect how bicycle logistics services can be initiated and established in urban environments. Empirical data consist of policy documents and qualitative interviews with bicycle logistics entrepreneurs and local policy actors from four Swedish municipalities, which …

Do autonomous delivery robots deliver?

Do autonomous delivery robots deliver? Road autonomous mobile robots have attracted the attention of delivery companies and policy makers owing to their potential to reduce costs and increase urban freight efficiency. Established delivery companies and new startups are investing in technologies that reduce delivery times, increase delivery drivers’ productivity, or both. In this context, adopting …

October 25: the future of Urban Mobility during EIT Open Day Eindhoven

Come and explore perspectives on the future of Urban Mobility during EIT Open Day Eindhoven, part of INNOVEIT, on Tuesday 25 October 2022. The event will take place in the heart of one of the largest design events in Northern Europe: Dutch Design Week. Get to know EIT Urban Mobility and get inspired by solution talks, …

How to solve net congestion for zero emission city logistics?

The logistics sector is facing a significant sustainability challenge in the coming years. Improving sustainability often involves a transition to battery-electric delivery vans and trucks. However, a lack of capacity on the electricity grid can be a barrier to this transition. A new report by Stichting Connekt, the Nationale Agenda Laadinfrastructuur, and CE Delft provides …

Research: the effects of a water-bound construction consolidation center on off-site transport performance

The environmental impact of construction logistics is significant in urban areas, characterized by high receptor densities, less accessible sites, and limited storage space. To reduce negative externalities generated by urban construction transport and improve the use of existing inland waterway transport (IWT) infrastructure, the City of Brussels has implemented a water-bound Construction Consolidation Centre (BCCC). …

Drone flight data reveal energy and GHG emissions savings for tiny parcel delivery

Uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) for last-mile deliveries will affect the energy productivity of delivery and require new methods to understand energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Researchers have combined empirical testing of 188 quadcopter flights across a range of speeds with a first-principles analysis to develop a usable energy model and a machine-learning algorithm …

Bloomberg: we are going to need a lot more electric cargo bikes

Parcel delivery companies in European cities are replacing delivery vans with cargo bikes. But the US rollout of cargo bikes has been slow. Bloomberg reports about it. Electric cargo bikes could replace many of the delivery vehicles that deliver parcels around cities. A recent study in London found that cargo bikes could reduce emissions from parcel delivery by one-third …

Can smart mobility hubs be a game changer if you ignore their city logistics role?

There is a new report out by Urban Europe on smart mobility hubs as game changer in transport. The report provides valuable guidelines for integrating mobility hubs in the urban space. A mobility hub is a physical location where shared mobility options are offered at permanent, dedicated, and visible locations and where public or collective …

Digital work and urban deliveries: on-demand food delivery

Platform-based on-demand delivery services are rapidly developing in urban areas, especially in the food sector, raising new issues for urban planners, especially in transport. Based on a survey of over 100 couriers conducted in 2018 in the municipality of Paris (France), a new paper aims to analyze the profile, delivery activity, and mobility practices of …

4.0 technologies in city logistics: an empirical investigation of contextual factors

Industry 4.0 technologies, originally developed in the manufacturing sector, can be purposefully implemented to improve City Logistics (CL) processes by automatizing some of their operational tasks and enabling the real-time exchange of information, with the ultimate goal of providing better interconnection among the actors involved. The digital transformation that logistics networks face offers new opportunities …