Issue	Challenge
Increasing volume of freight moving in urban areas	Capacity of urban freight transport systems
Changes in the nature of freight distribution	Smaller volumes and time-sensitive freight
Repetitiveness	Many urban activities (retail, groceries and catering) require daily deliveries
Environmental issues	Growing demand for reverse logistic flows (waste and recycling)
Emergence of e-commerce	Growth in home deliveries
Congestion	Lower driving speeds and frequent disruptions (reliability). Peak hour interferences
Regulation	Emissions, access and zoning

Key Issues in Urban Freight Transportation

By its characteristics urban freight distribution reflects many dimensions of contemporary logistics and exacerbates many of its constraints because of the nature of congestion in urban areas. Particularly, urban freight distribution is subject to smaller volumes with time sensitive freight necessary to replenish a constant demand. Repetitiveness is a salient issue as a regular flow of deliveries must be maintained in spite of peak hour congestion, inciting many freight distribution activities to take place during the night if possible. Since urban areas are large consumers of final goods, the issue of reverse logistics deserves attention in the form of the collection of wastes and recycling. The diffusion of e-commerce also created new forms of demands and new forms of urban distribution with a growth in the home deliveries of parcels. From a regulatory perspective urban areas are highly constrained with a variety of rules related to zoning, emissions and even access conditions to road and terminals. High population densities imply a low tolerance for infringements and disturbances.