The study by Corvello et al. (2025) provides the most comprehensive attempt to date to integrate the fragmented research landscape on City Logistics 4.0 (CL4.0). By analysing 194 peer-reviewed papers, the authors propose a new conceptualization of CL4.0, synthesize technological, logistical, and sustainability perspectives, and outline a robust future research agenda. Four overarching conclusions emerge.
City Logistics 4.0 is a multi-disciplinary, multi-paradigm domain
A central conclusion is that CL4.0 cannot be understood through a single disciplinary lens. Research clusters originate in logistics, technology, and sustainability—three perspectives that often develop in parallel but interact insufficiently. The fragmented nature of the field impedes theoretical progress and leads to piecemeal solutions that optimize parts of the system but not the citywide logistics ecosystem as a whole. CL4.0 therefore requires a coherent, integrative framework that synthesises multimodal network design, digital technologies, and sustainability-oriented planning. This is the foundation the authors propose for moving toward City Logistics 5.0, where technological innovation is explicitly aligned with societal well-being.
Digital technologies fundamentally reshape decision problems
The review concludes that technologies such as IoT, AI, blockchain, digital twins, autonomous vehicles, drones, and robotics do not merely support existing city logistics systems; they transform them. CL4.0 technologies enable:
- Automation of delivery and sorting tasks
- Real-time flexibility in routing and demand response
- Augmented intelligence, allowing predictive and prescriptive analytics
- Improved coordination between previously disconnected actors
- Higher reliability and security, primarily through blockchain
- Enhanced human capabilities via supportive interfaces such as AR or decision dashboards
The technological shift introduces entirely new optimisation problems and widens the feasible design space for urban freight systems. The authors argue that modelling approaches must increasingly combine simulation, AI-driven optimisation, and real-time control logic to reflect the dynamic, hyperconnected nature of CL4.0.
Sustainability is no longer an add-on, but a structuring principle
A major conclusion is the elevation of sustainability from a peripheral objective to a core design criterion. Across the reviewed literature, three sustainability-oriented trends dominate:
- Multimodal and low-emission distribution, including cargo bikes, e-vehicles, drones, and waterborne transport
- Crowd-based and on-demand logistics, reducing empty kilometres and inefficiencies
- Policy and regulatory innovations, such as zero-emission zones, urban consolidation strategies, and digital regulation.
The authors stress that technological innovation must be embedded in social and environmental governance frameworks. CL4.0’s value lies in designing systems that simultaneously lower emissions, minimize congestion, and increase accessibility. Sustainability considerations also drive the move toward shared infrastructures and collaborative logistics models.
Future research must shift from isolated optimisation to systemic integration
The study identifies a significant mismatch: while technologies, networks, vehicles, and policy instruments co-evolve in real cities, most models treat these elements separately. To address this, the authors propose a comprehensive research agenda, including:
- Integrated multi-echelon network models linking long-haul, urban hubs, micro-depots, and lockers
- Holistic modelling of low-emission/hi-tech vehicles, especially hybrid fleets (EVs + drones + cargo bikes)
- Collaborative logistics frameworks, enabling freight sharing and synchromodality
- Human-centred and ethical dimensions of automation and data-driven decision-making
- Simulation-optimisation hybrids, supported by digital twins for real-time planning
- Cross-disciplinary methods bridging operations research, behavioural science, public policy, and data science
CL4.0 is not merely a technological upgrade; it marks a structural transformation of urban logistics. Achieving its potential requires integrated planning, new governance models, and research that captures the full complexity of the urban logistics ecosystem.