ABSTRACT
Urban transport and logistics issues present many difficult problems. There are four major stakeholders-shippers, freight carriers, residents, and administrators-who have different goals and are involved in various initiatives. On one hand, we need to take an approach based on the industrial point of view, which allows us to establish more efficient and competitive logistics systems for supporting “just-in-time” production and delivery systems. Shippers in general hope to receive and send their goods in a reliable manner that does not violate the designated time window of delivery to lower their delivery costs. Freight carriers try to meet the shippers’ needs using their resources and public infrastructure and information to maximize their profits. On the other hand, residents in urban areas require minimum nuisance from urban freight transport and desire safer and more comfortable communities. Administrators of municipalities try to enhance the quality of life for residents as well as decrease the congestion levels within the urban road network, decrease the negative environmental impacts, and increase security relating to urban freight transport.
