Effective urban logistics planning is essential for managing infrastructure and transportation networks, helping to reduce the negative impacts of last-mile deliveries and promoting city sustainability. Among various supply chain management tasks, choosing strategic locations for logistics facilities—such as automated parcel lockers and smart loading bays—in urban areas is particularly significant. However, decision-making in this area is complex, involving multiple stakeholders with potentially conflicting goals and challenging consensus.
A new paper introduces an innovative approach to address these challenges through a spatial participatory process that combines GIS modeling with a Real-Time Spatial Delphi method to identify optimal locations for two logistics facilities. The case study focuses on Dublin, Ireland, as part of the H2020 SENATOR project’s Urban Living Lab. The approach begins with a modified Delphi method, where expert opinions on preferences and objectives are collected. These insights guide a GIS-based spatial analysis, ranking areas according to expert preferences. These results serve as the foundation for the Real-Time Spatial Delphi, in which stakeholders and experts work collaboratively to reach a spatial consensus.
The study’s findings offer valuable insights for stakeholders, policymakers, local authorities, and government agencies to inform practical action. By actively involving key participants in the decision-making process, this approach ensures that the chosen logistics facility locations meet the needs of all parties involved.