Stemming the Tide: Approaching Urban Freight in the Era of e-Commerce

This article discusses the tumultuous transition that the relationship between cities and freight is undergoing. While e-commerce has long been chipping away at traditional flows of goods, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a massive acceleration of trends, with some experts estimating that 10 years’ worth of e-commerce adoption took place in the space of 3 months. This shift has had a profound effect on goods movement, and consequently, the transportation systems on which it depends. The number of small parcels delivered in the United States rose from 14.7 billion in 2019 to 20.2 billion in 2020. Crucially, a large portion of these parcels end up at individual residences rather than consolidated at retail locations. At the same time, customers expect goods to arrive faster than ever, often in 2 days or less. This rapid increase in volume, disaggregation, and speed requires a constant flow of delivery vehicles that manifests as urban truck traffic

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  • English

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  • Accession Number: 01861765
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Files: TRIS
  • Created Date: Oct 20 2022 10:23AM