Rethinking urban freight distribution for the e-commerce era
The exponential growth of e-commerce, driven in part by the pandemic and new consumer habits, has highlighted the need to rethink the current model of urban freight distribution (UFD). The more online shopping is generated, the more home delivery is required with its implications in terms of operating costs, traffic, parking, and pollution. Urban logistics, and in particular the last mile, have become one of the main focuses of attention for public administrations and logistics operators in order to minimize these externalities. However, there is still a long way to go to optimize the new logistics processes to the requirements of the new distribution channel. Administrations need to start taking action with the help of logistics operators and citizens. These actions must be carried out quickly and in a consensual manner with all the parties involved, as only then will it be possible to define a sustainable urban logistics model that has continuity over time.
ODS
Cristian CastilloCristian Castillo has a doctorate in Business Administration and management and a master’s in Industrial Organization Engineering. He is a technical engineer in Industrial Electronics from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia. He is currently a lecturer in Economics and Business Studies at the UOC, focusing his academic activity on subjects in the field of production and logistics operations. He was also associate professor at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia for one year. Prior to his teaching career, he had accumulated twelve years’ experience in the private sector, where he worked in logistics management. He belongs to the research group Sustainability, Management and Transport (SUMAT), with research interests focusing on the field of business logistics and production operations as well as business organization, particularly in terms of organizational change.
Marta Viu RoigDegree in Economic and Business Sciences and doctorate in Business from the University of Barcelona (UB). Lecturer in Economics and Business Studies at the UOC. Her academic activity focuses on subjects in the logistics field. She is currently academic director of the MU in Logistics Management at the UOC and a member of the research group Sustainability, Management and Transport (SUMAT). Her research focuses on the field of logistics applied to various sectors, last-mile logistics and the urban distribution of goods.
Eduard J. Álvarez-PalauDoctorate in Transport Engineering and Infrastructure (UPC), engineer of Paths, Canals and Ports (UPC), and master’s in Organizational Management (UOC). Associate professor of Economics and Business Studies at the UOC and member of the research group Sustainability, Management and Transport (SUMAT). Prior to this, he was a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Cambridge an intern with the European Committee (DG MOVE), associate professor at the UPC and external consultant for the UOC. He also has experience in project management in civil engineering, urban planning and transport in private businesses at an international level.
