Urban Logistics

 

Urban logistics encompasses all freight and service flows that take place within a city from restocking stores and restaurants to delivering e-commerce parcels to consumers while balancing speed, cost, congestion, and environmental impact.

 

It draws on micro-hubs, low-emission vehicles, dynamic route optimisation, and close coordination with municipal regulations such as Low-Emission Zones (LEZ) and access-time windows. 
 

FAQ

 

What makes urban logistics different from traditional last-mile delivery?  

It integrates upstream considerations such as inbound consolidation, trans-load at city hubs, and multimodal first-mile legs rather than treating the last mile as a stand-alone parcel drop.

 

How is performance measured? 

Key KPIs include on-time delivery, drop density (stops per route), grams-CO₂ per parcel, vehicle fill-rate, and failed-delivery ratio.

 

Why are micro-hubs critical? 

Locating inventory closer to consumers reduces stem mileage, enables smaller electric vehicles, and supports midday cut-offs for same-day delivery without highway congestion risk.

 

Which vehicle types dominate urban fleets? 

Electric vans and cargo bikes handle parcels and small pallets; compressed-natural-gas and bio-LNG trucks cover heavier B2B pallets; pilot tests with hydrogen fuel-cell trucks are under way for 2026 deployments.

 

How do cities influence urban-logistics design? 

Access regulations (LEZ, noise curfews, curbside booking), infrastructure (charging stations, bike lanes), and incentives (tax breaks for clean vehicles) directly shape fleet choices, hub locations, and delivery windows.