Building on the definition of sustainability, we can consider a transport system to be sustainable if it contributes to overall economic growth as well as social equity, without degrading the natural environment. There are several trends that point to a strong growth of urban freight transport around the world, such as the general growth of the economy and the steep growth of e-commerce. The problem is that urban freight activity in many instances lead to direct impacts on the environment, society and economy. Some impacts, of course, are more severe and urgent than others. The impacts, such as air and noise pollution, traffic accidents, congestion and the emissions of greenhouse gases, lead to unsustainable outcomes, such as climate change, poor health and safety outcomes, delays and, eventually, unlivable cities.

We can often get the impression that freight activity are only “bad”, but that is not the case. The freight system holds, first and foremost, a functional role, which is to facilitate the movement of freight, a function essential to the economy and living of the urban residents. Hence, any solution aimed at reducing the negative impacts of urban freight should take care that the service quality of the freight system is not too diminished either.

So, a balanced view will at least have four aspects considered:

1. Logistics service quality
2. General condition of the transport system
3. Environmental concerns and impacts
4. Social concerns

We introduce these four aspects briefly below.

Logistics service quality

Goods delivery and pick-up can be regarded at the micro-, meso- and macro-economic level. The micro level is that of the individual firms. Shops sell their goods and order fresh produce, and city logistics operators deliver them at the required location. Accessibility, average speed, reliability and delivery costs are important here. By keeping logistic costs down, goods stay attractive for buyers. This has a positive impact on the productivity of entire sectors of the city’s economy, including construction, retail and tourism (meso level impact). This increases the volume and diversity of the goods and services available and increases the return of investments in the city, which in turn contributes to economic development (macro level impact).

General condition of the transport system

With a growing number of people living in cities, both passenger and freight transport will grow substantially. The city’s government may spend part of the tax income on infrastructure in order to keep the economy on its growth path. However, if these investments cannot keep up with the growth in traffic, congestion can become worse. This makes it more difficult to deliver goods on time and at low costs. Congestion also leads to an increase of traffic emissions (e.g. carbon monoxide). A negative cycle may start. Economic development may slow down. Companies and people may migrate away to less congested areas, creating new flows every time they want to return to the city, thereby increasing congestion. Although bad city logistics cannot be blamed for all these transport problems, it can be part of the problem – and the solution.

Environmental concerns and impacts

City logistics takes place with motorized and non-motorized vehicles and equipment. In most cases roads are used to transport the goods, but there are also examples where inland waterways and railways are used to ship goods in and out of cities. A growing use of motorized transport vehicles leads to a growing use of fossil fuels. This has many negative environmental impacts. One of these is the depletion of natural resources. The emission of carbon dioxide contributes to climate change. Mining and production of conventional vehicle fuels damages and pollutes the environment as well. Air pollution (such as nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, particulate matter and sulfur dioxides) is also a well-known side effect of the combustion of fuels in engines. Particles as small or smaller than 10 micrometers (also known as PM10) result from the wear of tires and brakes. There are also other environmental effects, for instance a visual pollution or intrusion in the landscape, roads acting as physical barriers for pedestrians, or loss of green areas. Contamination of land with toxic or other hazardous materials may occur during production, maintenance and use of vehicles (e.g., loss of fluids, wear of brake pads). It may also occur during construction, maintenance and use (e.g. run-offs) of infrastructure. Finally, there is waste produced during the lifecycle of vehicles and infrastructure.

Social concerns

The urban freight sector has an important social impact as well, both positive and negative. A positive impact is that city logistics provides many jobs, either directly or indirectly. Having a job means a higher standard of living and more diverse spending opportunities (on education etc.). Another positive impact is that efficient city logistics allows people to consume a wider range of goods. The negative social impacts of city logistics may relate to environmental effects. Air pollution, noise and safety hazards may make the city a less pleasant, less safe and affect health. Inhalation of smoke is linked to respiratory diseases. Traffic safety, especially of vulnerable road users like cyclists and pedestrians, are difficult problems facing many cities around the world, causing unnecessarily high fatalities. One should also note that these effects are not equally distributed to members of society, but affect usually poorer areas.

Summary

The urban freight transport system is complex. Understanding how the activity can affect our cities, both now and in the long term, is an important first step to knowing how best to improve it. We will be introduced in later weeks on how these actions can be approached in a balanced and nuanced way. But next, we will hear how some cities see their challenges and work to improve it.