Planning for sustainable urban logistics systems is crucial for ensuring a sustainable economy in cities. In spite of this, urban freight transport as a field often receives lower policy attention than passenger transport activities. Because of this, this session will focus on providing research insights for policy makers on how to plan more sustainable logistics while ensuring that systems also provide efficiency gains for logistics carriers. Some of the questions guiding this session will be: how can authorities develop governance frameworks that facilitate sustainable logistics planning? Which innovations and policy schemes can allow for more efficient and sustainable logistics? And what are the challenges for making urban logistics contribute to a more circular economy?
Spotlight on Research Sessions bring together research experts, senior-level practitioners, policy makers and strategists to discuss and inform decision makers on issues relevant to the Summit's themes. This is increasingly important considering the pace at which our transport systems are currently evolving. Researchers can inform policy decisions by helping practitioners understand the increasing complexity of mobility systems, by raising awareness about the latest innovations that could be critical for a sustainable future and by critically assessing policies.
The sessions offer an excellent opportunity to exchange ideas and are organised jointly between the ITF Secretariat, together with the European Commission (EC), the European Conference of Transport Research Institutes (ECTRI), the Transportation Research Board (TRB) and the World Conference on Transport Research Society (WCTRS).
Bridging research and policy, this Research in Focus session is complementary to the core session Transport enhancing economic growth: Local and regional perspectives.
