by Walther Ploos van Amstel
The 14th International Conference on City Logistics will take place from 19–21 May 2027 in the Algarve, Portugal. Following the 2025 edition in Penang, this conference remains a leading global platform for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners in urban freight and city logistics. The conference will be hosted at the Hilton Vilamoura As Cascatas Golf Resort …
This report by the Dutch Topsector Logistiek, &Morgen and TwynstraGudde examines how the growing demand for urban logistics can be efficiently and sustainably accommodated within limited urban space. The authors distinguish between different types of logistics hubs and conclude that carriers’ commercial interests often conflict with municipalities’ societal objectives. Using the Double Diamond methodology, real-world …
Amsterdam wants to turn the clock back 150 years. The canals, once the city’s economic lifelines, are being repositioned as arteries for supplying leisure venues and retail in the inner city. After years of pilot projects, a commercial freight boat service has now started operating between the Westelijk Havengebied and the city centre, including the …
The receiver is the forgotten director of urban logistics. But what do we actually know about the receiver? Last week I wrote about stricter restrictions on heavy freight traffic in city centers. From the perspective of vulnerable quay walls and urban liveability, these measures are understandable. Yet in cities such as Utrecht and Amsterdam, they …
The Dutch construction sector purchases nearly 49 million tonnes of materials annually (excluding soil, sand, and clay), while only about 20 million tonnes become available from demolition and renovation. Demand is therefore roughly 2.5 times higher than the sector’s own secondary supply. This structural gap lies at the heart of the circular construction challenge. Recent …
A comparative routing-based analysis shows that battery electric vehicles are most efficient for short and medium urban routes, while hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are better suited for longer inter-urban missions. Decoupled logistics models using micro-hubs and cargo bikes reduce curbside occupation by up to 80%, significantly improving public-space efficiency. Sustainable urban freight transitions require combining …
Europe is pushing hard for a sustainable, smart, and inclusive transport system. The logic is straightforward: if we want cleaner cities, resilient supply chains, and competitive logistics, we need better coordination across modes, across borders, and across public–private boundaries. Digitalisation is the lever, and data spaces are becoming the infrastructure behind it. Step 1 — …
The last mile is undergoing a rapid technological shift. Logistics companies are electrifying their fleets and deploying new digital systems for routing, tracking, and delivery management. Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly built into these systems, promising lower emissions, shorter distances, reduced fuel use, and lower operating costs. But Hanbit Chang’s dissertation, Rerouting the Last-Mile: Contested …
Walther Ploos van Amstel, Bram Kin, Hans Quak, Nilesh Anand, and Ron van Duin are proud to present their latest book chapter, ‘Sustainable city logistics‘, which provides a literature overview of modalities in city logistics. Cities are rapidly moving from van- and truck-dominated freight toward multimodal, low-emission logistics systems. Alongside electric vans and trucks, previously …
As cities introduce zero-emission zones, urban logistics is undergoing a fundamental transformation. This study examines how light electric freight vehicles (LEFVs) are being integrated into last-mile delivery in the Netherlands and how this transition reshapes logistics operations, urban infrastructure, and governance. Rather than focusing solely on vehicle technology, the paper highlights the organisational and spatial …