Urban areas represent particular challenges for national and international freight transport, both in terms of logistical performance and environmental impacts (emissions, noise, accidents, congestion and land use). Urban freight is indispensable for the city's economy but at the same time freight deliveries significantly affect the attractiveness and quality of urban life. Economic growth in urban areas is connected with an increase in industrial production and trade turnover, which results in increasing goods flows and traffic in cities. Following that, city freight delivery problems are caused by narrow streets on the one hand and still rising number of cars, passengers of public transport and pedestrians on the other hand. Due to increasing demands of the recipients, urban freight transport also has challenges associated with energy use, air quality (environment), increasing road congestion, road safety, disturbance and noise, and access restrictions combined with a general lack of loading and unloading spaces. In this framework, freight transport is a significant contributor to poor air quality and carbon emissions generation.
Sustainable urban logistics development is one of the most significant challenges for present city decision makers and authorities. The proper choice of the measures and efficient implementation process are the critical for the appropriate city development and supporting the high level of the quality of life in cities. Nowadays, promising measures are the ones focusing on the utilization of alternative delivering systems (like parcel lockers) and utilization of alternative engines, with special attention on the electric freight vehicles. Electro-mobility is becoming an interesting option.
The special issue "Green Logistics for Greener Cities" is focused on addressing the significant problems related to the development of sustainable urban freight transport systems. It covers many different topics and issues, including environmental impacts of freight distribution in the city, utilization of telematics-based systems and ITS in urban logistics, modelling and planning freight distribution in the context of sustainable development, the impact of logistics systems on the effective functioning of metropolitan areas as well as the economic aspects of improving the safety of freight distribution in urban areas. An important topic of special issue is the utilization of alternative transport modes as well as alternative fuel engines with special attention on electro-mobility.
List of topics:
The impact of urban freight transport on the environment.
Utilization of electro-mobility in city logistics.
Presentation of the new trends in eco-logistics.
The impact of freight distribution on the functioning of tourist and health resorts.
Computerization of urban infrastructure and city logistics.
IT platforms for freight distribution in urban areas.
Modelling freight distribution in urban areas.
Planning freight distribution in the context of sustainable development.
Urban industrial infrastructure.
City marketing as support for sustainable development.
Public-private partnerships for sustainable urban logistics.
Safety aspects in urban freight transport.
Metropolitan environment monitoring in terms of freight transport.
The impact of logistics systems on the effective functioning of metropolitan areas.
Economic aspects of improving safety in the freight distribution in urban areas.