Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and
Preservation, Columbia University, New York, April 19
2011
Freight and the City:
An Ambiguous Relationship
Jean-Paul Rodrigue
Associate Professor, Dept. of Global
Studies & Geography, Hofstra University,
New York, USA
Van Horne Researcher in Transportation
and Logistics, University of Calgary,
Canada
Lets Meet the Couple…
Problem
Partners barely know oneanother.
Uncertain about the
extent and depth of the
relationship.
Partners “misbehaving”.
Potential Solutions
As is.
Divorce.
Counseling.
Well, it could be worse…
Divorce is Not an Option…
Multi-Nodal
Nodal
Core activities
Peripheral activities
Central activities
Central area
Major transport axis
Why City Logistics is Receiving a Growing Level of
Attention?
Globalization (fragmentation of
production)
Congestion (better usage of existing
urban infrastructures)
Energy & Environment (mitigating
externalities)
Urban Transport: Assets versus Liabilities
Assets (Freight Transport)
Privately owned (profit driven).
Low entry costs (wages and rates
subject to market forces).
Value added role (trade distance for
cost).
Support industrial, manufacturing
and commercial activities.
Liabilities (Public Transit)
Publicly owned (politically
motivated).
Little or no competition permitted
(wages and fares regulated).
Social function / “public service”
(provides accessibility and social
equity).
Limited relationships with economic
activities.
The AND & IN of the Freight / City Relationship
Freight AND the City
Freight IN the City
The city as a unit of
production,
consumption and
distribution.
Strategies to insure
urban freight
distribution (city
logistics)
A - GLOBALIZATION AND MATERIAL FLOWS
THE DRIVERS OF GLOBALIZATION
GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAINS
CONTAINERIZATION
The Drivers of Globalization
Integration
Production
Transportation
Transactions
Regulatory
chains.
Supply chains.
Transport chains.
Offshoring.
Containerization.
Information
chains (ICT).
Harmonization of
regulatory
regimes.
Global
production
networks.
Transborder
transportation.
Capital for
investments.
Trade
agreements.
Credit for
transactions.
Global Maritime Container Transport System
Offshoring
Costs / time /
reliability
Internalize
efficiency
Commodity Chains and Added Value
High
Globalization
Added value
R&D
Sales / Service
Marketing
Branding
Distribution
Design
Concept
Manufacturing
Low
Commodity chain
Logistics
Supply Chains: Alternating First and Last Miles
Logistics Chain 1
Extraction
LC 2
Processing
Transport Chain 1
LC 3
Fabrication
TC 2
Logistics Chain 4
Assembly
TC 3
Distribution
TC 4
Retailing
TC 5
The Container: An Ubiquitous Transport Unit…
… Adapted to a Wide Variety of Supply Chains
Configuration of a Maritime Container Terminal
Rail
Road
Container crane
Administration
Gate
Repair / maintenance
Truck loading / unloading
Chassis storage
1 km
Loading / unloading area
Port Elizabeth Intermodal Complex, Port of New York
Configuration of an Intermodal Rail Terminal
Repair / maintenance
Gate / Administration
Chassis storage
1 km
Rail Track Operations
Storage Yard Operations
Gate Operations
BNSF Logistics Park Terminal, Joliet, Illinois
Warehousing, Cross-Docking and Transloading
Distribution Center
Suppliers
Receiving
Sorting
Shipping
Customers
Coping with Scarcity through Density: Hong Kong
International Distribution Center
FREIGHT AND THE CITY
THE MATERIAL CITY
THE GATEWAY CITY
LOGISTICS AND LAND USE
The Material City: Supply Chains and City Logistics
Multinational corporations.
Cities as production zones.
Intermodal
Terminals
Freight forwarders.
Cities as freight
distribution zones.
Logistic Zones
Cities as
consumption
zones.
World’s Major Gateway Systems, 2006
39 Gateway Regions
90% of the World’s Freight Transport
Pearl River Delta: 16.7%
China’s Special Economic Zones: Freight
Transnationalism and Urbanism
Freight Distribution Dominating the City: Evolution
of the Port of Rotterdam
Raritan Center (Freight Village), New Jersey
Raritan Center
Heller Industrial Park
Port Raritan
FREIGHT IN THE CITY (CITY LOGISTICS)
URBAN DISTRIBUTION CHAINS
URBAN MOBILITY DUALITY
CHALLENGES TO CITY LOGISTICS
Main Urban Freight Distribution Systems
Chain
Characteristics
Independent retailing
Small scale retailing activities. High frequency of deliveries (3 to 10 times
per week). Use of own-account delivery vehicles; mostly small to medium
sized. Limited freight reception facilities (the street as the delivery
platform).
Chain retailing
Large stores and shopping centers. Provision of parking space and loading
bays. Consolidated deliveries (large trucks). Reliance of third-party logistics
services providers (urban distribution and outsourcing).
Food deliveries
Specialized supply chains with goods that are often perishable. Cold chain
logistics; used heavily by fast food chains. Outdoor (central) markets (mostly
in developing countries).
Parcel and home
deliveries
Specialized parcel companies also involved in home deliveries. Large freight
integrators (consolidation and deconsolidation of shipments) with a network
of distribution centers. Fleet of delivery vehicles (small and medium-sized).
Construction sites
Construction and renewal of urban infrastructure. Different suppliers
according to the construction phase. Large volumes and heavy trucks.
Garbage collection and
disposal
Collection and disposal of wastes generated by daily urban activities.
Reverse logistics and recycling.
Elements of City Logistics
Scope
A
Distribution Center
Urban Logistics Zones
Suburbia
B
Central City
C
A
D
Urban Freight
Distribution
Centers
Urban
Freight
Stations
Mitigation Strategies for Urban Freight Distribution
Strategy
Advantages
Drawbacks
Night deliveries
Less congestion and faster
deliveries. No conflicts with
commuting.
Organization of labor and work shifts.
Potential community disruptions (e.g. noise).
Extended delivery
windows
More delivery options and less
impacts at peak hours.
Organization of labor and work shifts.
Usage of urban
freight distribution
centers
Better usage of delivery assets.
Less congestion.
Additional costs and potential delays due to
consolidation. May not well service
consignee delivery requirements (e.g. time).
Local freight
stations
Less delivery parking. A single
consolidation / deconsolidation
location.
Deliveries from freight station to consignee.
Management costs for the freight station.
Adapted vehicles
Less impact on local congestion.
Easier to find a parking spot.
Environmentally friendly vehicles.
More journeys for shipments larger than the
load unit. Additional costs.
Designated
delivery parking
areas
Better access to consignees. Less Less parking space for passenger vehicles.
disruptive deliveries.
Typical Car and Truck Trips Distribution by Time of
the Day
14
12
Trucks
Cars
10
8
6
4
2
0
1AM
3AM
5AM
7AM
9AM
11AM
1PM
3PM
5PM
7PM
9PM
11PM
100 Most Congested Highway Intersections in the
United States, 2006
Characteristics of Urban Deliveries from a Sample of
French Cities
Delivery Duration
Parking Conditions
3% 4%
7%
9%
11%
39%
12%
50%
15%
20%
Double-parked
28%
Other infringements
Along sidewalks
Less than 5 min
5 to 10 min
Over pedestrian areas
10 to 15 min
15 to 30 min
Private space
More than 30 min
Delivery area
SOGARIS Urban Logistics Zone, Marseille
Motomachi UCC Employees Unloading a CNG Truck
Electrically Assisted Delivery Tricycles, Paris
Containerization and Urbanism…