Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Planning and Optimization Methods
for Advanced Urban Logistics Systems
at Tactical Level
Simona Mancini, Jesus Gonzalez-Feliu and Teodor Gabriel Crainic
Abstract This chapter aims to review and present the main combinatorial opti-
mization problems recently introduced in literature, arising in urban logistics, in
which distribution systems are involved as well as to make a critical analysis of the
economic and environmental advantages obtained by following this kind of
approaches. First we present the different categories of systems where, due to
geographic or political constraints, there are access limitations to customers' area
for vehicles which do not respect given requirements. Second, the main definitions
and characteristics of advanced consolidation systems are presented. Third, the
main combinatorial optimization problems associated to such systems are pre-
sented, as well as the main heuristics methods to solve them. Finally, to complete
this study, a socio-economic analysis based on a set of interviews is proposed.
Keywords Combinatorial optimization
Cross-docking
Freight distribution
Tactical planning
Urban logistics
1 Introduction
The sudden change of habits in the modern society, the advance of progress, the
achievement of welfare and prosperity and a frenzy increase of life rhythms
yielded to the need of finding new solutions for the management of freight
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