City Logistics

City logistics, as a distributional strategy, can take many forms. On the above figure, a high density and congested central city can be serviced by an independent freight distribution system calling from a terminal located at the margin. The vehicles used to service the customers (either for deliveries or pickups along a flexible route) are likely to be smaller and thus better adapted for distribution in an urban environment. There is also the possibility of using the existing public transit system to move freight but this implies several challenges in terms of the adaptation of modes, the usage of existing passengers terminals and scheduling issues. The urban terminal itself could be a neutral facility interfacing with a set of distribution centers, each being connected to their respective supply chains. Thus, a wide array of supply chains connected to the city can achieve a better distributional efficiency within the central city.