Monthly archives: August, 2023

Dark stores in Paris: a policy review

Food e-commerce has long remained a limited phenomenon, which only changed noticeably during the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only did more consumers take advantage of the options offered online, but it also prompted the launch of many food delivery start-ups worldwide. Quick commerce, in particular, offering grocery deliveries within twenty minutes or less, attracted significant sums …

Integrating logistics into urban planning: best practices from Paris and Rotterdam

Cities worldwide are rethinking their mobility policies in light of environmental and quality-of-life objectives. As space is one of cities’ scarcest resources, mobility’s spatial footprint is increasingly scrutinized as an externality to mitigate. Like passenger transport, goods transport will shift towards efficient and zero-emission mobilities. Proximity logistics The logistics sector requires space to unload, cross-dock, …

Is there a future in community shipping?

What if the neighbors came to deliver your parcels from now on? It was a hilarious idea from the Dutch TV program Koefnoen in 2016. Okko and Eus walk with their wagon through the neighborhood, delivering parcels. With all the car-free plans, there may be a future in community shipping as a sustainable option for …

Mobility and the mall: three solutions for efficient and sustainable omnichannel goods transportation

Urban shopping malls depend not only on consumer mobility to operate and thrive but also on goods mobility. With the emergence of omnichannel retail, stores are now multifunctional hubs accommodating collection, delivery, and return of online purchases. As a consequence, goods transportation requirements for stores have intensified. This impacts the malls in which they are …

German research on cargo bikes: DiMoG

Promoting cycling as part of a forward-thinking, climate-neutral, and sustainable form of mobility is becoming a focal point for companies and municipalities in Germany and worldwide. The challenge is not only in changing mindsets but also in addressing the logistical requirements needed to implement a cycling-focused strategy. Delivery concepts with cargo bikes in freight transport …

US study: is online grocery delivery a sustainable practice?

Grocery delivery services have seen rapid growth in recent years. Is this a sustainable practice or a congestion generator and an environmental burden? Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University (USA) developed a method to estimate changes in travel patterns caused by grocery delivery adoption (a method to modify travel demand data to reflect changes in travel patterns …