City logistics: experiences with hubs and decoupling inner and outer urban transport

The focus must extend beyond merely reducing emissions to achieve a more sustainable city logistics system. Alongside adopting zero-emission vehicles, it is crucial to decrease urban logistics trips due to various urban, environmental, and economic challenges. To optimize city logistics, a new paper emphasizes the role of hubs and decoupling points, which separate the logistics …

What KPIs to use for smart mobility? The case of Barcelona

A recent article identifies and examines key performance indicators (KPIs) for citizen mobility logistics in smart and sustainable urban areas. It begins with a comprehensive literature review to identify essential KPIs, offering valuable insights for public and private stakeholders, including policymakers and mobility service providers. Drawing from various mobility projects in smart cities, the study …

UNCTAD: e-commerce should become more environmentally sustainable

On July 10, UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) launched The Digital Economy Report 2024, highlighting the global digital sector’s significant environmental impact and the disproportionate burden developed by developing countries. The report underscores that while digitalization fuels global economic growth and presents unique opportunities for developing nations, its environmental consequences are becoming increasingly severe. Due …

About Ochama 1-hour delivery in Amsterdam (NL)

Ochama, an innovative omnichannel retailer, recently introduced 1-hour delivery, highlighting its commitment to swift and reliable shopping experiences that cater to customers’ evolving needs. This new service offers free one-hour delivery for selected products throughout most of Amsterdam (NL), making it the only complimentary service in the Netherlands. The offering includes various products, such as …

A review of city-wide 30 km/h speed limit benefits in Europe

European cities increasingly implement 30 km/h speed limits across street networks. A new paper aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of such speed limits in Europe. Quantitative methods and qualitative assessments were used to condense research findings. The study examined the impact of city-wide 30 km/h speed limits on safety, the environment, energy consumption, traffic, livability, …

Research: analyzing shared mobility markets in Europe

The progression of shared mobility across Europe is remarkable. While station-based car and bike sharing have a longer history, particularly in major European capitals, recent advancements in modal types and operational models have significantly transformed the shared mobility landscape. Rapid expansion by private organizations has broadened access to shared mobility services across Europe. However, not …

Research opportunities for integrated network design with first and last mile

Supply chain management includes strategic, tactical, and operational decisions for long, medium, and short-term planning. Strategic decisions, such as network design, and operational decisions, such as last-mile routing, have mutual implications. Therefore, modeling them separately can lead to sub-optimal solutions. Integrated modeling of these decisions has been addressed as a location routing problem (LRP). A …

Research: a focus on railway shift in urban freight transport

New research stems from the assertion that cities must address the impacts of freight transport to enhance their sustainability by implementing various city logistic measures. One of the key sustainable actions being adopted globally is urban freight distribution through environmentally friendly vehicles, which has shown significant potential to reduce congestion and pollution levels, as evidenced …

Bridging the logistics divide with service inclusion for socially sustainable urban logistics services

Over the past decade, e-commerce has put increasing pressure on urban logistics and highlighted significant sustainability challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic intensified these issues, emphasizing the need to address social sustainability within e-commerce. The pandemic, in particular, highlighted the disparities in access to home deliveries and the critical need for a logistic system that aligns with …