CityLogistics

An Analysis of Last-Mile Delivery Challenges and Efficiency in Urban Logistics: A Study of Mumbai City

Last-mile delivery is a critical component of the logistics and supply chain industry, especially in densely populated urban areas like Mumbai. This study aims to analyze the key challenges affecting last-mile delivery efficiency and evaluate the role of technology and operational strategies in improving performance. Recent research was based on primary data collected through a structured survey of delivery personnel and consumers in Mumbai. Key factors such …

From waste to resource: Europe’s collection crisis demands bold action

Deposits, design, and EPR are the three keys to better material recovery in Europe. A new report by the Coordination and Support Office of the Circular Cities and Regions Initiative (CCRI-CSO) sets out policy recommendations for the upcoming EU Circular Economy Act (CEA). A recurring concern throughout the report is the persistently poor collection performance …

Smarter Cities, Smarter Deliveries: How Data-Driven Optimization Can Transform City Logistics

Urban logistics is in crisis. As city populations grow and e-commerce expands, the volume of goods moving through urban areas has risen sharply, leading to congestion, pollution, escalating delivery costs, and a diminished quality of life for residents. Logistics service providers (LSPs) are under mounting pressure to deliver goods faster and more cheaply, while municipalities …

Zero-Emission Zones in Dutch Cities: A Legal Landscape That Favors Municipal Authority

The introduction of zero-emission zones across Dutch city centers has triggered a wave of legal challenges from logistics operators and business owners. The outcomes offer important lessons for city logistics professionals navigating the transition to emission-free urban freight. Since 1 January 2025, 14 Dutch municipalities (including Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Utrecht) have implemented zero-emission zones that …

Jaarbeurs Utrecht (NL) Granted Judicial Exception to Zero-Emission Zone

The Dutch Jaarbeurs has won a legal case against the Municipality of Utrecht (NL) concerning the establishment of a zero-emission zone. The area surrounding the event complex is no longer subject to the stringent emission standards applicable to freight traffic. Utrecht introduced a zero-emission zone for delivery vehicles and trucks one year ago. The Jaarbeurs …

How Europeans Shop

A new study published in the European Transport Research Review (Fernando et al., 2026) offers a comparative look at how shopping-related travel behavior has changed across France, Germany, Norway, and Switzerland from the early 2000s to the 2020s. For those working in city logistics, the findings are both reassuring and challenging. Fewer Trips, but Not …

From Research to Real Change: Using the Impact Plan Approach in City Logistics

City logistics research has a problem. Not a shortage of data, not a lack of clever algorithms, and not an absence of ambitious pilots. The problem is simpler and more stubborn: too much knowledge stays on the shelf. Reports get written, conferences get filled, and meanwhile, the delivery van is still double-parked on the bike …

Without Smart Logistics, City Centers Will Grind to a Halt

What should be included in the election programs of parties that truly care about a livable, accessible, and vital city center? It is commendable that a local party commits to smarter urban logistics… but with the right starting points. D66 Eindhoven states: “We are investing in smart urban logistics. With transshipment hubs, we ensure that …

Decarbonizing city logistics: collaboration over competition in London

Ross Phillips, Sustainable Transport Manager at Cross River Partnership (CRP) — a London-based public-private partnership — offers a grounded and practical perspective on the decarbonization challenge facing urban logistics. His answers cut through the ambition and land on the structural barriers practitioners actually face day to day. The most honest observation in the interview is …

Dutch PostNL’s Monopoly: A Solved Problem or a Crisis Postponed?

The Dutch postal market is presenting a peculiar spectacle. PostNL wants to shed its legal obligation to provide the universal postal service because it is threatening to become loss-making. A consortium of Business Post and Spotta offers to take it over. The minister turns that offer down. And then the consortium doesn’t lodge an objection. …