In the context of the growth of e-commerce and the push for more sustainable cities, urban logistics has taken on a crucial role in the way we move and receive goods. Logistop, as part of Logistics & Automation Spain Madrid 2024, organised a roundtable to address the challenges and solutions that cities will face in the coming years. The event brought together industry experts to discuss new delivery strategies and how to make efficient use of public space in the last mile of the logistics chain.
The urgency of rethinking urban space
Urban logistics has evolved rapidly. The rise of e-commerce has transformed cities, bringing with it new challenges related to traffic congestion, use of public space and sustainability demands. As the volume of deliveries grows, so do the expectations of consumers, who are looking for speed, convenience and often zero cost delivery.
Daniel Latorre, moderator of the event and Head of Innovation of Logistop’s Urban Logistics working group and Deputy Managing Director of CITYlogin, stressed that the first challenge of urban logistics is sustainability in its three dimensions: environmental, economic and social. This challenge does not only affect companies in the sector, but also citizens and the public sector.
Main challenges and solutions discussed
Rafael Villa, Head of Logistics at Metro de Madrid, spoke about the need for greater collaboration between all actors in the logistics ecosystem. According to Villa, one of the biggest problems is congestion in cities, which directly affects the efficiency of deliveries. In this sense, he proposed as a solution the use of public infrastructures, giving as an example the project that is being implemented by Metro de Madrid through the use of the metro network.
For his part, Aristeo Rodríguez, Founder & CEO of Bepudo, discussed the democratisation of access to transport networks out of home. In his opinion, the consolidation of actors and delivery points is key to making urban logistics more effective, using alternatives to reduce traffic and improve the user experience.
Adrià Soriano, Manager of Mobility, Logistics and Digital Transformation at ITENE, pointed out that urban logistics is also a social challenge. Cities want to be cleaner and more sustainable, but at the same time, citizens want to receive their parcels at their doorstep quickly and free of charge. Achieving a balance will require a commitment from all actors: companies, citizens and the public sector.
The future of urban logistics: collaboration and awareness
Daniel Latorre emphasised that collaboration is the key to finding sustainable solutions. Innovation, according to him, will not only be technological, but also conceptual. It is about creating agreements and establishing a shared vision among all actors involved in urban logistics.
Rafa Villa added that awareness is another critical point. Consumers must understand that the cost of shipping has an impact on society as a whole and that ‘free delivery’ is not real. Aristeo Rodríguez reinforced this idea, pointing out that the culture of the transport sector must move towards standardisation, unification of criteria and consolidation of actors in a collaborative model.
Technology as an ally: AI and automation
As we move towards a more digitised future, artificial intelligence (AI) will play a crucial role in optimising urban deliveries. Adrià Soriano predicts that AI will contribute to improved efficiency in parcel distribution, while automation will address the challenges of congestion and growing demand.
As for the six-year horizon, Aristeo Rodríguez anticipates that the ‘home delivery’ model will become a premium service, and that restrictions in cities will increase. The need to consolidate players and delivery points will become increasingly evident, and AI will help improve route planning and efficiency. The challenge will be how companies will pass on the costs of these changes in last-mile logistics to the end customer, who is used to receiving free deliveries.
Conclusions
In the future of urban logistics, collaboration is key to achieving sustainable solutions and must be adapted to meet current and future needs. Awareness, technology and collaboration will be the pillars of tomorrow’s urban logistics. As Daniel Latorre pointed out, the sector as it is currently conceived is not sustainable. In order to achieve a more efficient and environmentally friendly model, it will be necessary for all actors to work together and commit to adopting new solutions. The key will be to know how to collaborate and create alliances to make urban logistics a more efficient and sustainable sector in all the areas mentioned above.
For more information on the event, please contact Iris Amado, Communications and Marketing at Logistop, at iris.amado@logistop.org.
About Logistop
At Logistop we transform the supply chain through innovation, helping industry and companies to become more efficient and sustainable.
We are a multidisciplinary and inter-territorial working space in the logistics innovation arena formed by all the actors involved in the supply chain, as well as universities, technology centres, associations and specialised consultancy firms.
One of Logistop’s main objectives is:
- To promote the need for innovation among companies involved in the logistics sector;
- To promote innovation projects;
- To communicate the real needs of the sector at an institutional level.