Urban Freight in Developing Cities

Problems induced by urban freight traffic

Roadspace occupation

Green House Gas (GHG) and particle matter (PM) emissions

Noise emissions

Traffic noise has severe impacts on health and overall quality of life. It may lead to stress and increased blood pressure. In the medium and long term, the reduction of traffic noise in the vicinity of residential areas is likely to become a focus in all regions.

Impairment of road safety

Damage to road infrastructure

Congestion/delays

Negative impacts on economic competitiveness and urban development

A functioning city goods distribution and transport system is a major precondition for sustained economic development and thus, for poverty reduction. If a reliable and efficient supply of goods to inner city retail outlets cannot be established and ensured, commercial activity might shift to more easily accessible locations.

A review of proven city logistics concepts

Prior to discussing possible measure to improve the efficiency of city logistics systems for developing cities, it is helpful to quickly review the past development of the sector and illustrate some logistical concepts which have proven to be economically viable and sustainable. Usually they have developed organically out of private sector initiative.

Organised street markets

Street markets are a common appearance in most cities, and may take place daily, weekly or biweekly. Sometimes these markets are specialised, e.g.

Delivery of building materials

In rapidly growing urban agglomerations, up to 30 % of the transported goods tonnage is building materials and construction equipment. In congested metropolitan areas and commercial inner city districts, the logistical bottleneck is the off-loading operation at the construction site. Sometimes, no off road parking is available at all, space is always scarce and if not organised correctly, the off-loading operation produces long vehicle queues.

Further Information

Further and more detailed information can be found on the homepage of the Sustainable Urban Transport Project. The Sustainable Urban Transport Project aims to help developing world cities achieve their sustainable transport goals, through the dissemination of information about international experience, policy advice, training and capacity building.

References

Bernhard O. Herzog 2010, Urban Freight in developing cities