Hi,

In my opinion - looking from the perspective of Poland so far - the most important aspect is also the simplest one. The main question is where to start the research in UFT to get it incorporated into normal city's planning practice. Planners tend to aim high, looking for broad targets,which turn to be unrealistic and difficult to implement.

best regards,

Daniel

Hi,

At Faculty of Logistics (University of Maribor) we also have a Master's program and in this context also the subject of urban logistics. I’m just thinking on what kind of research could work this year students - in the field of urban logistics (urban freight transport). Does anyone have any idea? ,

Best regards,

Darja

Daniel thanks for your reply which I find interesting. However, to bring thhe discussion to a more operational level I would like to ask, among those manageable issues that should be addressed by local policy-makers which do you think should be those gaining the highest attention due to their relevance on one side and due to the fact that they are under-researched?

regards

Edoardo

If congested areas around ports (belonging to the port hinterland) are interfering with regular urban traffic as well as urban freight transport they need a lot of attention (classic example: Los Angeles, USA).

Some time ago I posted a question regarding maritime shipping pointing towards experiences in "inter-terminal transportation" (ITT). With that we mean the transport of containers between different terminals or different parts of a port. Current practices are not perfect and under-researched (so Darja could jump on it).

In the words of the initial question: If consolidation centers (let me assume that container terminals belong into this category to have an example) interfere with regular traffic, we need innovative solutions to overcome the situation.

Dear Stefan, thanks very much for your post and suggestions. I find this very interesting. Could it be possible to put together a selected number of port cities with problems similar to that you describe and see similarities/dissimilarities, best practices and furthermore study if there is an underlying paradigm that could be researched/analyzed/improved? What do you think of the idea?

regards

edoardo

In my opinion, studies concerning location of load/unload places in urban areas are scarce. Although there is a large literature about location theory, in Logistics and Operations Research, the research about location of load/unload places, in a City Logistics perspective, is not satisfatory.

Of course, there are further studies needed in important innovation oriented areas. For instance, it is not only about locations. The use of electric vehicles in City Logistics may have an impact and needs more research. This also refers to technical solutions (like using electric vehicles (e.g., freight scooters) for freight transportation in severe weather conditions). In major Chinese cities, for instance, you might use extra lanes for them, though the question of driver licences is a different one in that respect;-)

On ITT: Examples could incorporate Rotterdam and Hamburg in Europe, Shanghai and port cities along the Pearl River Delta in China (HingKong, Shenzhen), and Los Angeles/Long Beach in North America.

Thanks Bruno and Stefan for your interesting contributions. In particular I find it stimulating the issue related to the correlation analysis between electric scooters/cars/vans and weather conditions since this might determine specific usage patterns according to different weather conditions. regards

Edoardo

Dear Stefan and Edoardo, port logistics is a key topic for regional development, especially in relation to the port area, the near-port area, and the hinterland. We can help on this through Adriatic projects, in which we try to compare across ports-and-hinterland. The objective is to harmonise the ports in the Mega-region of the Adriatic.

Yorgos, this is a very interesting and pertinent issue especially considering the interests and location of some Italian colleagues. In particular I could talk to Romeo Danielis at Trieste University and Jerome Massiani at the University of Venezia who might be interested. Furthermore I have some good connections also with the University of Ancona. Are there specific issues that could also be addressed within a (of some form) EU call? Would you be, at least in principle,interested in exploring further this issue also with the aim of participating to a call?

Edoardo, i agree. Yes, our team is certainly interested in working with you and your colleagues. We can pursue this by organising a technical meeting, either on location or skype (mine is yjstep). I have not looked much in H2020 but we should.

Yorgos, I will talk to Federica Arcgibugi a Phd Student working on this issues and get back to you shortly. my Skype nickname is marcucciedoardo. regards

Edoardo

Dear Edoardo, in my opinion, the use of NMT modes (like hand carts, pull carts, bullock carts, cycle rickshaws, etc. esp, in developing countries) for urban freight movements is an under-researched subject. My guess is that these modes are indispensable especially in historic city centres with criss-crossing narrow lanes make movement of motorized freight vehicles very difficult if not impossible.

Second research area is to study the shared utilisation of PT capacity for small freight movements and its impact on urban freight efficiency. There is very little work done in this area to my knowledge

Dear Deepak

thanks very much for your interesting reply that I find very relevant not only for developing countries but also for developed city centers that are often higly congested. I am so interested that I would propose you a joint research effort to investigate similarities and differences in these two contexts. Would you be interested in pursuing these ideas further?

regards

Edoardo

Dear Edoardo,

I am equally interested and will be happy to collaborate in any of the suggested areas. Kindly suggest way ford.

Regards

Deepak

For me there are several open questions remaining in urban freight, just to name some:

- data, especially on the micro level (who is delivering what, when, how, and how often are these patterns changing

- data on heavy and over-sized vehicles and prediction of future routes, weights to evaluate infrastructural needs

- proceeds related questions, like how can we establish structures that respect the needs of urban freight in all stages of planning

- how can you set the topic on the agenda besides complains about noise etc.

- how to increase safety (trucks/pedestrians/cyclists)

- how to make urban freight a "positive product" to assure an interest in the topic

- what about dangerous goods in cities...

There are more than enough things to think about for the next decades :-)

Best regards from Berlin,

Julius