E-commerce and new delivery trends are reshaping how our streets are used — and how they feel. Delivery vans, cargo bikes, and couriers now compete for curb space that was once reserved for pedestrians, cyclists, and social life. The rise of last-mile logistics is no longer just a transport or technical challenge; it’s an urban design issue.
According to Giacomo Gallo of New Environments and Daniel Casas Valle of Urban Dynamics, the rise of last-mile delivery is threatening the livability of urban neighborhoods. To sustain livable and inclusive cities, we must integrate logistics into the design of streets and public spaces. This means developing new methods — including design tools, strategies, and models — that enable the coexistence of delivery and public life in a productive manner. Streets are no longer static; they are dynamic systems that change over time. By including the dimension of time in street design, the same space can serve multiple purposes — for example, loading in the morning, dining terraces at noon, and play or leisure in the afternoon.
This research examines the integration of small-scale logistics into public spaces as a positive and visible component of urban life. Rather than seeing last-mile delivery as a disturbance, it treats it as an opportunity to enhance accessibility, livability, and sustainability.
The spread of dark stores and the sharp increase in various delivery vehicles are clear examples of how logistics can disrupt the social and spatial balance of city life. Their ambition is to explore how new forms of logistics and delivery can be integrated into existing neighborhoods in ways that strengthen, rather than undermine, the community’s social and ecological fabric.
In the Dutch cities Leiden, Eindhoven, and Amsterdam, the design studios have collaborated with local governments, logistics companies, and mobility experts from Goudappel in a series of design-based research workshops.
The study presents a range of alternatives and design models that can inform spatial policy, urban development plans, and public-space projects. These solutions can be implemented during periodic street upgrades or integrated into the design of new urban districts. The focus is on micro and small-scale logistics — flexible systems that can be seamlessly integrated into dense city environments without compromising public quality.
Three case studies illustrate the approach:
Leiden – Station Area
This high-density district around the city’s central station is transforming into a mixed-use urban hub. With heavy pedestrian, cycling, and public transport flows, logistics must be coordinated with other activities through smart time windows and shared-space design, allowing multiple uses at different times of the day.
Amsterdam – Hamerkop
A former industrial zone turning into a mixed residential and maker district, Hamerkop explores how productive activities and delivery logistics can coexist with housing and leisure. The design examines how building typologies and public space can accommodate last-mile logistics through integrated delivery zones, shared courtyards, and flexible street layouts.
Eindhoven – Kleine Berg
A lively radial street filled with shops, cafés, and homes, Kleine Berg faces typical inner-city delivery challenges. Here, small-scale interventions — such as micro-hubs and coordinated delivery schemes — help reduce the visual and spatial impact of logistics while maintaining a pedestrian-friendly atmosphere.
Rethinking the Street
These cases demonstrate that logistics can be an integral part of a city’s design DNA; not an afterthought. By embedding delivery functions in the street’s spatial and temporal logic, we can turn an operational necessity into an urban quality. The street of the future will not only move people and goods but also create new space for life, work, and connection.
Source: New Environments