How can cities become cleaner, more efficient, and better connected? Hamburg’s MOVE21 project offers some inspiring answers. In collaboration with the Bezirksamt Altona, the project has developed a Best Practice Manual that examines real-world examples of neighborhood hubs—multifunctional spaces that bring together logistics, mobility, and even social services. Whether placed in existing buildings or public spaces, these hubs are designed to make urban life more seamless and sustainable.
The neighborhood hubs implemented in Hamburg contribute to more sustainable and efficient urban logistics and mobility in various ways. These hubs are designed as multifunctional, locally integrated centers that combine logistics, mobility, and social services. The aim is to decentralize these services and make them more accessible to residents in urban districts.
By combining microdepots with services such as mobility, culture, and waste management, neighborhood hubs help facilitate implementation, build public support, and advance climate goals in the transport sector. One standout idea is combined transport, where passenger and freight transport are integrated. It’s a clever way to boost efficiency while cutting emissions, especially in dense urban environments.
The pilot projects in Hamburg, carried out as part of the EU-funded MOVE21 initiative, illustrate these contributions in concrete ways:
1. More Efficient Urban Logistics
- Establishing microdepots in existing buildings (such as Holstenstraße) and public spaces (like Kaltenkircher Platz) enables more efficient urban supply chains.
- Placing microdepots in central locations near residential or commercial areas helps shorten delivery routes and reduce inner-city traffic. The Holstenstraße depot is a good example, located along a busy road in a residential area.
- A multi-user approach ensures optimal space use and cost efficiency, where several logistics providers share the same transshipment point (as seen in Holstenstraße with Hermes, GLS, and CityLog).
- Time-coordinated operations within the microdepots prevent congestion and allow smooth workflows. At Holstenstraße, deliveries, sorting, and loading happen at different times of day.
- The modular microdepot at Kaltenkircher Platz, consisting of four lightweight containers, offers flexibility and adaptability to changing operational needs, ensuring long-term efficiency.
2. More Sustainable Urban Logistics
- Neighborhood hubs help lower harmful pollutants by reducing transport distances and consolidating logistics operations. MOVE21 aims to cut urban transport-related CO₂ emissions by 30% by 2030.
- The integration of charging stations for electric vehicles, considered for Kaltenkircher Platz (though initially not realized due to costs), supports the shift toward zero-emission last-mile logistics.
- The neighborhood hub at Kaltenkircher Platz also includes an EcoHHub, a recycling-oriented waste collection point that contributes to more sustainable waste management and circular economy practices.
3. More Sustainable and Efficient Urban Mobility
- Neighborhood hubs in public spaces, such as Kaltenkircher Platz, integrate networked mobility services, opening up areas to users beyond car traffic.
- Features include car-sharing stations (HVV switch points), which offer flexible alternatives to private car ownership and reduce parking demand.
- Bicycle parking options, tested with the “Fahrradflunder” (bike flounder), and potential bike garages make cycling a more attractive travel mode.
- Designated zones for micromobility (e.g., e-scooters and pedelecs) help keep public space orderly and make switching between transport modes easier.
- Improved connections to public transport, such as the widened access path to the bus stop at Kaltenkircher Platz, enhance multimodal travel options.
In summary, the neighborhood hubs in Hamburg—developed under the MOVE21 framework—are advancing sustainable and efficient urban logistics through optimized delivery routes, shared facilities, the integration of zero-emission technologies, and support for a circular economy. On the mobility side, they offer viable alternatives to private cars and improve connectivity across the urban transport network. By combining logistics with social and mobility services, these hubs gain stronger community support and enable diverse services to flourish.
Perhaps the most important takeaway is that innovation like this doesn’t happen in isolation. The project highlights the crucial role of collaboration—between local authorities, businesses, and communities—in turning smart city concepts into reality. Hamburg’s approach shows what’s possible when people work together to rethink how cities move.