Easing the load for urban logistics

By Dr. Aldo Arranz and  Dr. Teresa de la Cruz Eiriz

Urban freight transport is a critical component of city logistics, directly influencing economic activity, traffic congestion, and environmental sustainability. Yet, despite its fundamental role, freight planning has long taken a back seat to passenger mobility in urban strategies. As is often said, freight doesn’t have a vote—and even where there is political will, municipalities frequently lack standardized guidelines and easy-to-implement tools to support effective freight planning.

This oversight is becoming increasingly problematic. Statistics show that 75% of the EU population (and rising) lives in urban areas, placing growing pressure on cities to manage freight volumes, reduce emissions, and alleviate traffic congestion. The challenge is particularly acute in the context of last-mile deliveries, which alone are estimated to generate up to €70 billion annually in costs and contribute disproportionately to urban CO₂ emissions and air pollution.

Compounding the issue is the intense competition for public space in high-density areas, where infrastructure such as loading and unloading zones is often inefficiently provided or poorly managed. As e-commerce continues to fuel demand for urban freight transport, the lack of dedicated policies and planning tools is a significant barrier to sustainable urban logistics.

To address this challenge, ZLC has been working in collaboration with Zaragoza’s municipal smart city service to develop a theoretical model for loading and unloading operations. This work has been part of the SENATOR project, funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme.

Our model, which we believe to be both robust and replicable, is based on queueing theory, working with georeferenced open data, and fieldwork results, and provides a methodology for evaluating the level of service (LOS) of loading and unloading zones (LUZ) in Zaragoza.

Urban planners can use the methodology to determine the appropriate size and numbers of loading/unloading bays.

Our approach is, less complex and less data-intensive than existing models which makes it easier for local government to use, and as such it bridges the gap between academic research and real-world application. It is designed to be scalable and adaptable to different urban environments, not just the specific circumstances of Zaragoza.

The model can be used to support the development of Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMP) and Sustainable Urban Logistics Plans (SULP). Specifically, it helps identify congestion hot-spots and needs for infrastructure development or change and it helps create an appropriate balance in the allocation of public space between passenger and freight needs. In turn this should help reduce traffic disruption caused by illegal and double parking.

Going further, this application of quantitative methods to empirical data can be used to improve logistics efficiency, for example by the development and refinement of dynamic regulations such as time windows and freight prioritizations, and better align freight-oriented zones with commercial activity and supply chain needs. More widely the method can be used to support the integration of freight considerations with wider urban land-use planning.

Overall, all this will help create more balanced and sustainable urban mobility ecosystems which give a proper place to low-emission but resilient, efficient and optimized last-mile freight and delivery operations.

For more information contact Teresa de la Cruz at mdelacruz@zlc.edu.es