ABSTRACT
While industry tends towards mass personalisation and instant deliveries, the last mile of urban logistics is being challenged to decrease the number of vehicles in circulation and the distances they travel in city centres. The COVID-19 pandemic helped expose the inefficiency of cities in fulfilling citizens' real-time needs. Moreover, the first aim of this paper is to understand the barriers which policymakers face in providing a personalised response to citizens' needs and the second to ascertain how they can proactively serve their communities. In line with these concerns, empirical evidence was collected through a questionnaire to Portuguese policymakers, and the results were discussed in a focus group with experts. The results suggest a lack of tools to enable real-time visualisation and study of scenarios for implementing and organising means of delivery and storage. Moreover, although policymakers feel confident in their capacity to manage the last mile, they would struggle to operate autonomously. Therefore, this paper conceptualises an initial algorithm based on the dynamic collaboration of stakeholders and sharing of resources to guarantee fulfilment of citizens' necessities. Furthermore, future discussions shall emerge about the relationships and technical standards between stakeholders to provide the necessary logistical means for city management and operations.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has translated in different countries into a variable mix of measures that all had impacts on urban economies and logistics activities. Goods managed to maintain a high level of mobility, thus guaranteeing the supply of cities and limiting the possible effects of shortages. Urban supply chains adapted well to rapidly changing consumption behaviors (one in three consumers who made online food purchases during the first lockdowns in Europe were new to this channel) and changes in supplies to industrial sectors. In the public eye (governments, media, the general public), logistics has become an essential activity and while it has always been strategic for cities, it has become much more visible. To report on these changes, this chapter presents a review of the already quite substantial scientific literature on COVID-19 and freight, develops the case study of Paris, France, and discusses policy issues and future directions related to urban logistics and COVID-19.