The most challenging part of the logistics chain has always been the end: reaching consumers directly. It's a step that urbanists refer to as the last mile, and it became a first priority for customers and businesses alike as the demand for e-commerce escalated with the Covid-19 pandemic.
At the same time, cities worldwide began significantly cutting back their dependence on cars (or cutting them out of the picture altogether!) in favour of more people-friendly streets, like Barcelona's Superblocks and The Woonerf Concept in the Netherlands. While these dramatic, often very attractive changes in city topography can be sustainable and cost-effective solutions to some mobility issues in cities, in the process, they can also create new logistical issues, especially when it comes to the last mile.
Let's explore what's at stake in this blog with Philippe Lebeau, one of the authors of the EIT Urban Mobility Academy's free e-course on Last Mile Logistics to help us go to the extra mile and understand how to make the last mile logistics work harmoniously with pedestrianised streets.