Overview of urban freight transport modelling

Abstract

This chapter introduces the topic of freight transport modelling in the urban context. Urban freight transport is typical in several aspects: the defragmentation of product flows, the use of modes, and the commodity mix. Freight traffic is also in competition for space with other traffic and users of the urban environment. Real-world applications of urban freight models are scarce because of a lack of data and methods to adequately simulate impacts of urban freight policies. However, recent applications of information and communications technology offer new opportunities for the development of urban freight transport models. At the same time, these developments are reshaping the scope of urban freight models more and more into tools for operational management. The aim of this chapter is to provide an overview of the key developments in urban freight modelling of the past decades, with a focus on the latest research and innovation directions. It will also introduce the subsequent chapters of this section that will focus on the modelling of the demand for freight services, microsimulation, and agent-based modelling, and the latest developments in freight trip generation models.