by Walther Ploos van Amstel
Cities want to steer city logistics. Zero-emission zones, traffic filters, loading bays, construction logistics: the policy ambitions are big. But there is one awkward problem. Cities barely know what is actually happening on their streets. While passenger mobility has been monitored for decades with traffic models, smart card data and parking permits, freight and service …
While Dutch cities spent the past year fine-tuning zero-emission zones and exemption regimes, London opened a different front. In March, the GLA and Transport for London published a progress update on the London Logistics Plan, due in late 2026 — the city’s first attempt in years to treat logistics not as a nuisance to be …
Fifteen months after New York City introduced congestion pricing, commercial fleets have clearly adapted. New telematics data from Altitude by Geotab, based on more than 50,000 commercial vehicle trips, shows that operators have responded not by avoiding Manhattan, but by using their vehicles more efficiently. The most striking finding is a 15% increase in operational …
Electric trucks are steadily moving from pilot projects to mainstream city logistics. A new report by C40 Cities, the University of Exeter, Arup and Laneshift argues that cities can accelerate this transition by combining regulation, charging infrastructure and long-term policy certainty. Their central message is compelling: electrification reaches a “tipping point” only when three conditions …
The Dutch Clean Air Agreement is outperforming expectations. That deserves recognition — municipalities have worked hard on this for years. But those responsible for air quality policy know that the next challenge is already visible and more complex. RIVM is clear: under the current adopted policy, the stricter 2030 European standards will not be met …
A new study compares how five global cities handle e-commerce deliveries — and finds that context is everything. City logistics keeps growing, and with it, the pressure on urban streets. More parcels, more vans, more congestion, and more urgency for cities to find smarter solutions. But which solutions actually work? A new study published in …
Many cities aim to be fully circular by 2050. That sounds like a promise. But anyone who looks honestly at what is actually happening sees mostly well-intentioned projects that deliver little in practice. Worm hotels in neighborhood gardens. A timber auction of felled city trees. Discounts on shoe repairs via local city passes. Inspiring, yes, …
New York City is in the thick of a landmark policy battle over last-mile delivery regulation. The city administration has officially endorsed a City Council bill that would require e-commerce companies to directly hire and pay delivery workers, drawing fierce opposition from an Amazon-backed coalition. The bill would force companies to directly employ delivery workers, …
Urban Freight at a Crossroads: What the EU’s new Transport Study tells us about the future of city logistics. A new exploratory study commissioned by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE) has shed light on one of the most pressing challenges in urban mobility: getting freight smarter, cleaner, and better connected …
If you’ve ever sat through a transport planning meeting, you’ll recognize the pattern. Slides on walking, cycling, public transit, maybe some discussion of electric vehicles, and then, right at the end, almost apologetically: “…and freight.” Dr Daniela Paddeu has spent her career pushing back against exactly that dynamic. As Associate Professor of Sustainable Freight Futures …