Urban freight distribution is the system and process by which goods are collected, transported, and distributed within urban environments. The urban freight system can include seaports, airports, manufacturing facilities, and warehouse/distribution centers that are connected by a network of railroads, rail yards, pipelines, highways, and roadways that enable goods to get to their destinations.
Urban freight distribution is essential to supporting international and domestic trade as well as the daily needs of local businesses and consumers. In addition, it provides thousands of jobs and other economic benefits. However, a number of challenges are associated with urban freight, such as road congestion, environmental impacts, and land use conflicts due to the proximity of freight facilities and vehicles to residential and sensitive land uses. As urban freight continues to grow, the community and environmental impacts associated with these challenges will need to be addressed and mitigated.
Description and evolution One of the main drivers of urban freight transport has been the continued urbanization of the world's population. According to the United Nations (UN), 3.9 billion people (54%) of the world's population lives in urban areas, up from 746 million in 1950. Projections indicate that urbanization combined with the overall growth of the world's population could add another 2.5 billion people to urban populations by 2050, or 66% of the total world population. The UN notes that the number of mega-cities of ten million or more inhabitants has increased from ten in 1990 to 28 in 2014. By 2030, the world is expected to have 41 mega-cities.
As the total number and concentration of the world's population in urban areas has grown, so has the importance of transporting and delivering the consumer goods required to sustain these urban areas. This includes freight transportation to and from warehouse/distribution centers, retail stores, businesses, and homes.
Urban freight distribution also involves transportation from freight-generating facilities such as seaports, airports, railyards, manufacturing facilities, and warehouse/distribution centers, many of which are located in urban areas and utilize an urban region's roadway and railway network to transport goods. In addition, many companies today use sophisticated computerized logistics systems to manage their supply chains and employ just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing and delivery to minimize inventory and expenses. While JIT can significantly reduce production costs, it also requires efficient and reliable transportation systems, both within and between urban regions, to be effective.
At the local or neighborhood level, the growth of E-commerce and small package delivery by firms such as FedEx and UPS means that cities and communities should consider the needs of truck circulation and parking/loading zones within residential and commercial areas to facilitate delivery of goods.
Complicating urban freight is the need of the transportation system to also accommodate other roadway users such as automobiles, public transit, bicycles, and pedestrians. For example, cities are increasingly implementing road diets to enhance and encourage walking, bicycling, livability, and pedestrian safety. According to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), it is possible for road diets to accommodate freight movement if factors such as current land use, truck size, delivery parking areas, and intersection design are considered in the planning process.
Components Urban freight distribution can include the following components, depending on the location of the urban area:
Seaports
Seaports allow ships to dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land. Seaports handle a variety of goods including cargo shipped by intermodal containers, bulk commodities such as crude oil, and specialized cargo such as automobiles. Major container ports in North America include the Port of Los Angeles, Port of Long Beach, Port of New York and New Jersey, Port of Savannah, Port of Vancouver, Port of Oakland, Port of Virginia, Port of Houston, Port of Tacoma, Port of Charleston, and Port of Seattle.
Airports
Airports, and more specifically air cargo, are a significant component of the freight system. It is estimated that in the United States in 2013, over $1.1 billion worth of goods traveled by air. The top five airports in the U.S., ranked by landed weight of all-cargo operations in 2014, are Memphis International Airport, Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, Louisville International Airport, Chicago O'Hare International Airport, and Miami International Airport.
Warehouses and distribution centers
A distribution center is a warehouse or other specialized building that receives, stores, and distributes goods to a variety of destinations such as retail stores, businesses, consumers, manufacturing facilities, or other distribution centers.
Railways and railyards
Railroads haul a variety of goods such as intermodal containers, bulk goods, and other specialized cargo such as automobiles. In the United States, railroads are most commonly used to transport cargo over distances of 1,000 to 2,000 miles. Railroads are complemented by rail yards that allow freight from shippers to be trucked in, transferred onto railcars, and for trains to be assembled. There are three railroad classes in the United States: Class I, II, and III. According to the Association of American Railroads, Class I railroads had a minimum carrier operating revenue of $433.2 million in 2011. There are six Class I railroads in the United States: BNSF Railway, Canadian National Railway, Canadian Pacific Kansas City, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern Railway, and Union Pacific Railroad.
Roads
In the United States, trucks transport the vast majority of goods in terms of both weight and value. In fact, trucks transport 85% of goods traveling 249 miles or less. To transport their goods, trucks utilize the roadway network consisting of freeways, highways, and arterials.
The roads that trucks can travel on are regulated at the national, state, and local levels. In the United States the Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982 established a National Network of highways that permits "conventional combination" trucks (tractors with one semitrailer up to 48 feet in length or with one 28-foot semitrailer and one 28-foot trailer, and can be up to 102 inches wide) to travel on. The National Network consists of the Interstate Highway System as well as non-interstate highways designated by states. The FHWA also designates intermodal connectors and the National Highway Freight Network, which consists of the Primary Highway Freight System (PHFS), portions of the interstate system not part of the PHFS, Critical Rural Freight Corridors (CRFC), and Critical Urban Freight Corridors (CUFC).
At the local level, many cities designate truck routes within their respective jurisdictions. In most jurisdictions, trucks are allowed to use most streets as needed for local deliveries. However, local jurisdictions can restrict "through" truck trips that pass through a jurisdiction but do not end or begin there. For these "through" truck trips, trucks can be required to travel on designated truck routes and remain on the designated truck route for as long of the trip as possible.
Designated truck routes enable cities to channelize trucks onto roadways that have sufficient lane and intersection width, and in some cases pavement strength, to accommodate trucks. In addition, designated truck routes can be used to direct trucks onto arterials in industrial and commercial areas and away from residential areas, schools, parks, and other sensitive land uses.
Many local jurisdictions also designate curbside truck parking and loading zones. The purpose of truck parking and loading zones is to provide adequate space for trucks to load and unload their goods, and prevent illegal and double parking by trucks. Cities provide guidelines for locating parking and loading zones and often allow businesses to apply to establish a new parking and loading zone. Cities can also regulate the type of truck and length of time that trucks can park in a parking or loading zone and establish fines for violations.
Benefits The efficient and timely distribution of freight is critical for supporting the demands of modern urban areas. Without freight distribution, urban areas could not survive, grow, and flourish.
Freight distribution also generates significant economic benefits. For example, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) estimates that in 2012, the freight industry (defined as rail, water, truck, and pipeline transportation, support activities for transportation, couriers and messengers, and warehousing and storage) employed over 4.3 million people and paid total wages of almost $184 billion, for an average wage of over $42,000US annually. Furthermore, for-hire transportation services contributed $481 billion to U.S. gross domestic product in 2013.
Challenges
There are a number of challenges resulting from urban freight distribution, including traffic congestion, environmental impacts, and land use conflicts. The use of older trucks that emit a higher amount of emissions and have fewer safety features relative to newer trucks. The prevalent use of diesel fuel in the goods movement industry generates NOx and PM2.5 emissions that can have significant air quality impacts. Insufficient or inadequate truck parking and/or loading zones can result in illegal truck double parking, parking in bicycle lanes, or parking in center median lanes. Conflicts between trucks and automobiles, pedestrians, and bicyclists can occur in dense urban areas due to high vehicle volume, inadequate arterial capacity, inadequate intersection turning radii for trucks, and/or the increasing implementation of "Complete Street" elements such as bicycle lanes. These conflicts can result in congestion, parking, and safety impacts. The use of modern, longer trucks, particularly in highly dense urban areas or older industrial areas with inadequate intersection width can result in turning movement conflicts between trucks and other roadway users that can increase congestion, have safety impacts, and damage curbs, sidewalks, traffic signals, and signs. Within urban areas, the length and frequency of freight trains have resulted in growing congestion, noise, air quality, and safety impacts at at-grade crossings where trains and roads intersect. As a result, local jurisdictions have taken the initiative to construct road/rail grade separations to eliminate these conflicts. Notable examples include the Alameda CorridorAlameda Corridor and Alameda Corridor East Alameda Corridor East programs in southern California, and the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Program (CREATE).Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Program (CREATE) Land use conflicts can arise when goods movement facilities are located in close proximity to non-industrial land uses such as schools, residences, and parks. These conflicts can result in noise, air quality, and congestion impacts that may require significant mitigation measures. For example, the proposed Southern California International Gateway railyard that would be operated by the BNSF Railway just north of the Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach would provide mobility and environmental benefits by enabling more intermodal containers to travel via rail instead of truck. However, the project has also generated protests and a lawsuit due to the proximity of the proposed facility to residential neighborhoods in West Long Beach, California.
These issues affect not only the efficiency of freight distribution but also the quality of life of citizens and public health.
Policy and planning