Urban living labs: a living lab way of working

Urban living labs have become a popular phenomenon. The Living Lab approach would provide real life research with its multiple stakeholders in a co-innovating inclusive setting, crucial in creating metropolitan solutions with impact, that will be adopted smoothly and swiftly by all involved, and thus help achieve prosperous living environments that are more liveable, sustainable, …

Performance based regulation: is ‘intelligent access’ the future in regulating city logistics?

The further development of local policies to stimulate more CO2-productivity in city logistics and a shift to zero-emission city logistics is inevitable: growing political and societal pressure demands it. This push can already be recognized in the existing variety of local regulations, customized to different local circumstances in different cities or parts of cities.

Paris ‘front door to logistics’

With construction having started in the spring, the Paris multimodal logistics centre will be opening its doors soon. Fleet Street reports about it: We used to think that they were unwelcome in town centres, driven once and for all into more or less distant suburbs: however, logistics facilities are making their come back in the very …

Mechelen (B) is running a pilot testing smart locker systems

With the establishment of limited traffic areas, delivery time windows, low emission zones, development of pedestrian shopping areas and the evolution of e-commerce, the logistics sector faces new challenges. There is a need to test and implement new methods for pick-up and delivery of goods. Micro-consolidation represents a solution to deliver goods in a more …

HoReCa deliveries in Paris (F): are more regulations better?

Regulatory policies aim at reducing the negative effects of urban freight transportation, especially those related to traffic, emissions and noise. Nonetheless, stakeholders in city logistics often have divergent objectives, which lead to difficulties upon defining the best possible choices regarding regulation. A new paper on HoReCa deliveries in Paris by MINES ParisTech presents a multi-agent …

An indicator approach to sustainable urban freight

Several indicators have been established to monitor and evaluate the sustainability of cities. Urban freight and related transportation activities are under represented in these established frameworks despite the substantial negative impact of urban freight on the environment, society and economy. The result is the lack of an understanding of freight flows’ impact on the liveability of …

How to develop a commercial shared street?

Many narrow or crowded downtown streets operate informally as shared streets during rush hour or at lunchtime, but are not regulated as such. A commercial shared street environment should be considered in places where pedestrian activity is high and vehicle volumes are either low or discouraged. Commercial shared streets can be designed for narrow or …