Seeking equity and justice in urban freight: where to look?

Fried, Travis; Goodchild, Anne; Browne, Michael; Sánchez-Díaz, Iván

doi:10.1080/01441647.2023.2247165

Cited by 8 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 95 publications

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“…These inconsistencies can influence the effectiveness in identifying programs that remedy environmental injustices or halting programs that perpetuate them. There has also been limited effort by broader transport research to evaluate urban freight using an equity lens (Fried et al ., 2023).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating spatial inequity in last-mile delivery: a national analysis

Fried,

Goodchild,

Sanchez-Diaz

et al. 2024

IJPDLM

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PurposeDespite large bodies of research related to the impacts of e-commerce on last-mile logistics and sustainability, there has been limited effort to evaluate urban freight using an equity lens. Therefore, this study proposes a modeling framework that enables researchers and planners to estimate the baseline equity performance of a major e-commerce platform and evaluate equity impacts of possible urban freight management strategies. The study also analyzes the sensitivity of various operational decisions to mitigate bias in the analysis.Design/methodology/approachThe model adapts empirical methodologies from activity-based modeling, transport equity evaluation, and residential freight trip generation (RFTG) to estimate person- and household-level delivery demand and cargo van traffic exposure in 41 U.S. Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs).FindingsEvaluating 12 measurements across varying population segments and spatial units, the study finds robust evidence for racial and socio-economic inequities in last-mile delivery for low-income and, especially, populations of color (POC). By the most conservative measurement, POC are exposed to roughly 35% more cargo van traffic than white populations on average, despite ordering less than half as many packages. The study explores the model’s utility by evaluating a simple scenario that finds marginal equity gains for urban freight management strategies that prioritize line-haul efficiency improvements over those improving intra-neighborhood circulations.Originality/valuePresents a first effort in building a modeling framework for more equitable decision-making in last-mile delivery operations and broader city planning.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%