CityLogistics

Delivery drivers get more rights under new EU law

Crowd-shipping delivery drivers via online platforms are becoming increasingly common in last-mile delivery sector. Unlike zero-hour contract workers, these drivers are classified as independent contractors or freelancers, allowing providers to bypass employment legislation regarding zero-hour contracts. Platform work Last-mile providers engaging in these practices use their branded apps to onboard drivers as independent contractors, who …

Ulez: fewer dirty cars in London. But the health impact is unclear

The Guardian reports, ‘Ulez expansion led to a significant drop in air pollutants in London, report finds.’ That’s an interesting quote. According to the City of London, the change is equivalent to removing 200,000 cars yearly. That sounds like good news. Nine million people live in the area now covered by Ulez. Will they now …

McKinsey: the decline in post-pandemic logistics funding persists

The decline in post-pandemic logistics funding persists. After peaking at an unprecedented $25.6 billion in 2021, venture funding for logistics start-ups plummeted to just $2.9 billion in 2023, marking a nearly 90 percent drop over two years and the lowest funding level since 2015. Venture capitalists (VCs) and logistics entrepreneurs are now facing the reversal of trends …

The logistification of service trips: implications for urban mobility

Despite being a significant component of urban traffic, service trips are often overlooked in academic literature. These trips are primarily undertaken to perform various services, with the transportation of necessary goods being an integral part of the process. As a result, professionals use commercial vehicles for these tasks. A recent paper employs a combination of …

Integrating city logistics in spatial planning in the Netherlands

There is a significant focus on reducing emissions from city logistics. However, even zero-emission vehicles occupy valuable urban space when unloaded onto roads and sidewalks. Despite the spatial impact of city logistics, it is seldom considered in spatial planning. Based on four case studies in the Netherlands, researchers explore how to actively integrate city logistics …

Urban studies must consider urban freight

In a new paper, the authors argue that urban studies must consider urban freight as a crucial component of ongoing urban transformations. The movement of goods is increasingly shaping cities, with uncertain implications for sustainability, livability, and justice. Despite its importance, freight logistics has been largely overlooked in urban studies. This paper aims to address …

Using E-fulfilment centers for direct last-mile parcel delivery: an activity cost-based analysis

In recent years, online shopping has been rapidly increasing. Optimizing the sorting processes in e-fulfillment centers, combined with direct parcel delivery from these centers to nearby customers, has not been widely studied quantitatively. The primary objective of a recent paper is to determine whether e-fulfillment centers can reduce parcel delivery costs: ‘To what extent is …

New publication: City Logistics 2023

The proceedings of the 12th International Conference on City Logistics have been published. The conference focused on urban freight transport issues, models, evaluation methods, and planning approaches. The proceedings present 55 articles. The results of the conference were: Urban freight transport has become a significant issue in city planning due to challenges such as traffic …

Everything you always wanted to know about cargo bikes

After more than 1.5 years of work involving 35 experts and resulting in 425 pages of valuable content, the German book Radlogistiek (Bicycle Logistics – Basics of Logistics and Commercial Transport with Cargo and Transport Bikes) is now available. Businesses, administrations, and other stakeholder groups still need to know about cargo bikes. Radlogistik aims to …

Review: decoding cargo bikes’ potential to be a sustainable last-mile delivery mode

Cargo bikes may be recognized as a cost-effective and adaptable solution for last-mile goods transportation. However, few studies have examined the factors essential for their sustainable operation and effectiveness as the final segment of a green, efficient, and socially beneficial supply chain. To address this gap, the authors of a recent paper systematically collected and …