United States-European Commission Urban Freight Twinning Initiative: Compendium of Project Summaries
Overview of Second Annual Urban Freight Roundtable at 2017 Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting

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Research

Europe

U-TURN

The traditional methods of food logistics are being challenged by population growth, urban congestion, and environmental damage, as well as by the increased use of convenience stores and the home delivery of online grocery purchases. The U-TURN project is investigating new models for transporting food in urban areas that can bring about environmental and societal benefits. The goal of the project is to identify opportunities for consolidating freight flows and to define collaboration practices and alternative logistics pooling strategies.

This diagram shows the different movements of food shipments that are the subject of the U-TURN project. Shipments originate with local producers, online food retailers, and food manufacturers or suppliers. Some shipments are taken directly to retail outlets or end consumers. Others travel first to a distribution center or "city hub."
Source: U-TURN.

Project Type

Research

Period of Performance

January 2016 - May 2018

Project Site(s)

Athens, Greece; Milan, Italy; London, UK

Website

http://www.u-turn-project.eu/

Contact

Dr. Dimitris Zissis
Senior Research Fellow in Supply Chain Modeling
Cranfield School of Management
Dimitris.Zissis@cranfield.ac.uk

Challenges Addressed

• Urban distribution (focusing on food logistics)

Expected Outcomes

U-TURN will analyze existing flows of food shipments in urban areas and will suggest innovative collaboration practices and tools for achieving more efficient operations from both an environmental and a cost perspective. The project will assess the logistics-sharing and collaboration strategies in three ways: 1) through comparative analysis based on actual market data, 2) through simulation experimentation; and 3) via pilot execution in three different countries: UK, Italy, and Greece.

The UK pilot is focused on the home-delivery market for food and grocery products in London. The Italian pilot is assessing the distribution of fresh food from local producers into the city of Milan. The Greek pilot is identifying opportunities to share loads and reduce vehicle trips in Athens.

U-TURN will further contribute to the adoption of logistics-sharing strategies for urban freight transport through managerial assessment, quantifiable benefits, and the provision of tools, including a "smart" transport matching tool, a collaboration platform, a simulation tool, and an economic assessment model.

Stakeholder Involvement

Manufacturers, farmers, and food retailers