Direct Effects of City Logistics Measures and Urban Freight Demand Models - Sustainable Urban Logistics: Concepts, Methods and Information Systems - page 208

Table 1 Urban freight transport: actors and relative choices

Actors Strategic level Tactical level Operational level

End consumer Residence locations Where and in what type

of retail outlet to buy
What transport mode
to use

Retailer Shop/store location What transport service

type to use
(i.e. on own
account or by carrier)

Shop/store size What shipment size

Wholesaler Warehouse location What transport service

to use (i.e. on own
account or by carrier)

What time to start tours
What type of vehicle
to use
Which delivery tour
to follow

Carrier What time to start tours

What type of vehicle
to use
Which delivery tour
to follow

collection, network maintenance). In this context, a city logistics set of measures
should seek to reduce the impacts of both freight transport components.
Urban freight mobility is the result of several choices undertaken by different
actors at operational (i.e. short-term), tactical (i.e. medium-term) and strategic (i.e.
long-term) level (Table 1 ):

• end consumers (e.g. residents, visitors) choose where and at what type of retail
outlet to make purchases (i.e. small, medium and large retail outlet) and
transport mode;
• retailers (including large-scale outlets) choose the type of transport to use (e.g.
own account, third party) and shipment size; in the long term, their choices
concern shop and store location;
• wholesalers and distributors choose what type of transport to use for restocking
their customers (e.g. own account, third party) and, in the event of own account,
choose time and type of vehicle to use for restocking and the relative delivery
tour; in the long term, their choices concern locations of warehouses and dis-
tribution centers;
• carriers; their choices are mainly related to departure time, type of vehicle to use
for restocking, as well as the delivery tour to follow.

The results of these choices can change as a response to measures that seek to
reduce the negative effects of UFT. For example, shopping location choices of
end-consumers depend on the location of commercial supply with respect to their
residence and behavior, which in turn depends on characteristics such as age,
income, family size and lifestyle. Further, end-consumer choices of retail type can