ABSTRACT
Urban goods transport, also known as urban freight distribution, concerns a vast range of activities insuring an adequate level of service for a variety of urban supply chains. While cities have always been important producers and consumers of goods historically, much of these activities were taking place in proximity to major transport terminals, with limited quantities of freight entering the city itself. The functional specialization of cities, the global division of production, the emergence of intermodal terminals, the rise of service activities, global consumerism, as well as increasing standards of living are all correlated with an increased demand for urban goods transport in cities. This is characterized by a higher frequency of deliveries, and larger quantities of freight shipments coming from, bound to or transiting through urban areas. The scale, intensity and complexity of urban goods transport necessitate additional forms of organization and management in many large cities, which is the realm of city logistics. City logistics concerns the means to enable goods transport in urban areas by improving the efficiency of urban freight transportation and mitigating the environmental and social impacts.
