Urban freight distribution (originally Cities and Freight)

Since the industrial revolutions of the 19th and 20th centuries the development of urban and transport planning has shaped - in both capitalist and communist societies - by the parallel utopianism of modernism and garden cities, accelerated in Europe by post war reconstruction. The development of first rail and then road has allowed cities to break free from the concentration on local resources. In this chapter, freight in cities is placed in this context. Sustainability is strongly affected by transport and therefore a strong relationship exists between freight planning and the development of urban freight strategies that have been promotoed across the developed world. Freight partnerships, urban 'distribution' centres, delivery windows, freight and urban citizens, receiver-led initiatives, clean vehicle initiatives, low emission zones and road pricing are all discussed to contextualise the current challenges facing urban freight in the developed urban setting. The chapter argues that, unlike passenger travel, freight is the lifeblood of a modern city, with the challenge being how freight should balance social, economic and environmental issues, in order to realise an agreed level of sustainability.