ABSTRACT
In metropolitan areas, freight transport occupies a somewhat paradoxical position. Transport in general, both passenger and freight, accounts for a small share of regional added value (5 percent in the case of the Paris region). It is nevertheless essential for the operation of large cities (Hesse 2008) and their integration to the rest of the world. Transportation connects cities to different geographical scales, from the nearest to the most distant areas via seaports and airports (Hesse and Rodrigue 2004; O’Connor 2010) thus strongly contributing to metropolization (Veltz 1996; Combes et al. 2006). Too frequently unknown to the general public, transport is the “underside of the metropolis.” It even affects the way cities are structured, as a result of the locational dynamic of logistics activities, which are linked to the motorway network and the increasing role of warehouses and distribution centers, and generates considerable pollution. It thus becomes a social issue, as borne out by current policies that seek to encourage modal shift (Savy 2006).
