Meet the ULaaDS Follower Cities: Milan, Gdynia, Leuven & Helmond
Milan (Italy), Gdynia (Poland), Leuven (Belgium) and Helmond (The Netherlands) applied to join the study visit as part of the recently launched ULaaDS peer learning programme, which gives city representatives the opportunity to gain first-hand experience of urban logistics measures implemented in other cities – and specifically the ULaaDS solutions being tested.
The first study visit in Mechelen on 16-17 May 2022 will be tailored to the needs of the four Follower Cities and will take on an interactive approach, to facilitate in-depth exchange and strengthen cooperation.
Want to learn more about the host city Mechelen? Check out their city page here, or join the ULaaDS team for their upcoming webinar on April 28.
Milan’s Zero-emission logistics transition
The City of Milan is actively working to support a functional and cost-effective environmental transition in the urban freight logistics sector. Daily deliveries are continuously growing in Milan, especially since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. The city sees a clear urgency to act strategically in order to improve the urban goods delivery sector, through a systemic approach. This will only be possible by strengthening collaboration with other cities that are experiencing the same process of change.
Throughout 2022, Milan will be working on the implementation of two pilot projects focused on the zero-emission transition in urban logistics, which involve:
- The use of a freight train to bring goods into the city during off-peak hours, combined with e-vehicles and cargo bikes for last-mile deliveries.
- The promotion of CityHub(s) from where small e-vehicles and cargo bikes will transfer goods to end-users.
Gdynia: solving local urban logistics challenges
In Poland, there is no national policy on green deliveries, which means it is down to individual cities to develop and undertake local acts in a bid to solve urban logistics challenges. Gdynia is one of the forerunners in this field, and together with logistics operators is making the first necessary steps towards a greener and more efficient urban delivery system.
Gdynia hopes to replicate some of the ULaaDS solutions and schemes like containerised urban last-mile delivery, CargoHitching or the Dual MobiHub. The peer support programme will help the city decide on how many mobility hubs they should implement and which kind, as well as identify the data that needs collecting and the stakeholders to be involved in the process.
Leuven: upgrading the city’s SULP
Leuven hopes to tackle its own logistics challenges by learning lessons from fellow Belgian city Mechelen.
With the success of the Bpost Ecozone in the city centre and parcel lockers available in every neighbourhood, Leuven hopes to take its logistics planning to the next level, with a proactive, carefully crafted SULP (Sustainable Urban Logistics Plan).
This SULP will need to consider the city’s current concerns about liveability (i.e., rising pollution levels and resulting health costs), curbside management (i.e., lack of data on incoming and outgoing traffic), as well as limited capacity (for urban delivery in city centres).
Helmond’s future white label logistics system
Conventionally fuelled heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) are still widely used for delivering goods in Helmond. More than 2000 HGVs circulate each day on one central axis in Helmond’s city centre, which is a source of frustration for citizens, primarily due to the high levels of air and noise pollution.
That’s why the Dutch city wants to develop a new logistics system where clean and soft modes will be favoured.
Helmond hopes the ULaaDS community will help the city stimulate cooperation among key logistics stakeholders to ensure a successful white label logistics system in a car-free zero-emission neighbourhood.
Author: Amy McCready
