How the EU and USA cooperate on urban freight
Knowledge knows no borders, or at least not when it comes to urban freight.
Since mid-2015, the four CIVITAS urban freight (UF) projects - CITYLAB, NOVELOG, SUCCESS, and U-TURN – have been involved in the EU-US Urban Freight Research and Development Twinning Initiative.
The Initiative aims to increase knowledge and awareness on the problems and solutions for urban freight and logistics on both sides of the Atlantic.
Recently, a session was held at the CIVITAS Forum 2017 as part of the Initiative. The CIVITAS UF project coordinators and a representative from the US Department of Transportation looked at strategies for engaging and supporting industry and local authorities in urban freight strategy development. They also examined new areas for potential future international cooperation.
Groups from the European Union and USA have already participated in study visits and roundtable meetings on both sides of the Atlantic.
For instance, US delegates visited CIVITAS UF project pilot sites in the UK and Belgium in September 2016, whilst CIVITAS UF project representatives take part in an annual Urban Freight Roundtable in Washington, DC. Two joint webinars have also taken place.
Looking to the future, a peer-exchange visit is expected to see the CIVITAS projects travel to the USA in early 2018. In addition, the joint final conference of the CIVITAS UF projects, which is taking place from 23-24 April 2018, will likely involve speakers from the US Department of Transportation.
For more information on the CIVITAS urban freight projects, click here.
To see the presentations from the CIVITAS Forum session (A1), click here.