by Walther Ploos van Amstel
As cities grow denser and online shopping continues to rise, the demand for efficient logistics is increasing rapidly. Urban space is limited, and logistics hubs offer a promising solution: they consolidate goods and enable zero-emission transport into city centers. Some hubs also support shared mobility. To explore viable models, the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences …
What if you parked your car for an entire month, and didn’t look back? That’s precisely what more than 170 volunteers did in Uber’s One Less Car Challenge, a bold experiment across seven cities in the U.S. and Canada. The idea was simple: give up your personal car for four weeks, rely on other modes …
The European Commission has greenlit a new support package that will see France’s national postal provider, La Poste, receive up to €531 million between 2023 and 2025 to help maintain its vast network of post offices and delivery services, even in remote or less profitable areas. This funding is part of La Poste’s public service …
The energy and mobility sectors are increasingly interlinked, offering new opportunities for synergies in infrastructure use. However, the governance processes that underlie such cross-sectoral innovation are often overlooked. This case study examines the intricate decision-making process behind the development of an E-PT-hub. This initiative, undertaken by a Dutch public transport operator, aims to repurpose its metro power …
As cities grow denser and more complex, we’re seeing a notable shift: logistics activities are increasingly coexisting with residential areas. This merging is not accidental; it’s driven by a combination of spatial, economic, and functional pressures that reshape how we plan and use urban space. First, space is at a premium. Urban land is scarce …
Many cities around the world are missing out on significant development opportunities by ignoring, underutilizing, or mismanaging their public-space assets. Yet there is enormous potential to use these spaces more strategically and to unlock the hidden value they generate for communities, neighborhoods, and cities as a whole. The World Bank’s report, The Hidden Wealth of …
The rapid growth of warehousing and distribution (W&D) centers across U.S. cities is reshaping urban freight systems. As demand for fast deliveries climbs, logistics facilities are moving closer to residential areas, raising serious concerns about health risks from increased freight traffic. Communities already burdened by industrial activity are particularly vulnerable to the noise, air pollution, …
As cities face the dual challenge of growing e-commerce and the need for more sustainable urban mobility, improving last-mile delivery becomes essential, especially in the fast-growing sector of online groceries. A recent study explores how crowdshipping, where in-store shoppers deliver groceries to other customers, can offer a promising alternative to traditional van-based delivery models. Integrating …
The CIRCULAR FOAM project’s Deliverable 1.5 outlines a conceptual and dialogue-based framework to advance collaboration and transformation in the recycling of high-performance plastics, with a focus on rigid polyurethane (PU) foam. This report synthesizes insights from earlier project tasks, regional workshops, and a consumer survey across Germany, the Netherlands, and Poland to build a common …
Amsterdam is taking significant steps toward becoming a safer and more sustainable city, with a greater focus on pedestrian and cyclist safety. The 2024 traffic safety monitor provides an overview of measures implemented under the city’s road safety plan, including the introduction of 30 km/h zones and policies for pedestrians and cyclists. 30 km/h Becomes …