Category «Food for thoughts»

Car-free cities offer new business opportunities

Car accessibility as a privilege is no longer a given in cities. Inner cities and residential areas are becoming car-free. Residents, visitors, and business owners must deal with it. Car-free is the new normal. Does that also create opportunities for creative companies? Almost two-thirds of Amsterdammers favor fewer car routes through the city and more …

The future of urban two-person deliveries

In response to changing consumer markets, retailers are moving to an “omnichannel model,” combining inventory in the physical store with a webshop and home delivery and installation. Delivering and installing heavier products at consumers’ homes is a specialty in the home delivery market like furniture, white goods, and electronics delivery. Dutch web stores deliver consumers …

A framework for city logistics and decarbonization

City logistics must be organized more sustainably and eventually decarbonize. To this end, the focus is mainly on electrification as a technical measure, whereby electric equivalents eventually substitute conventional vehicles. There are, however, numerous decarbonization strategies for city logistics, some of which aim to reduce the number of vehicle movements by changing demand, more collaboration …

Research: city logistics and land use planning in education

Supply chains, city logistics, and freight transport have been pressured to improve productivity, quality, and sustainability. But unfortunately, conventional practice methods cannot respond to this industry’s ever-growing challenges and needs. The development of contemporary city logistics education has the utmost importance. New methods/technologies have emerged to respond to this issue, making urban freight logistics a …

Using the Ecosystem Pie Model (EPM)

In developing (circular) city logistics innovations, we often discuss creating ecosystems to address the systemic questions involving multiple stakeholders in these value chains. For example, recently, we posted about how ecosystems differ from and relate to supply chains.  Innovating firms often need to rely on other actors in their innovation ecosystem to achieve a complex …

Ecosystems and supply chains: How do they differ and relate?

In developing (circular) urban value chains, we often discuss developing ecosystems to deal with the systemic questions involving multiple stakeholders in these value chains. How do ecosystems differ from and relate to supply chains? Ecosystems best suit dynamic business environments with complex and evolving technical systems. Recently Hervé Legenvre, Ari-Pekka Hameri, and Ruggero Golini published …

The promise of cargo bikes? Riders should have access to good and fair employment

Cargo bike deliveries have a role in reaching net zero ambitions, reducing congestion, and providing an efficient and affordable means of logistics. Cargo bike deliveries also have the potential to provide quality employment, differentiated from the ‘gig economy.’ However, cargo bike delivery riders can experience precarious work and health and safety risks. Furthermore, the workforce …