Managing the complexity: decision making process on sustainable mobility

Starting from the literature on decision processes in public choices, aim of the paper is to suggest an integrated methodology to get a choice as much as possible shared and participated joining two different approaches. On one hand there is the “classic†or top-down approach based on statistical data analysis and handling, having as target the definition of some synthetic indicators. On the other hand there is a bottom-up approach based on the Strategic Environment Assessment (SEA) logical framework and on citizens participation. Particularly the paper will apply the above mentioned methodology to face the theme of sustainable mobility showing at the end the results obtained in the analysis of the 13th District of the Municipality of Rome. The choice of sustainable mobility as a target of decision process lies on the fact that actually it is included with a high priority in the agenda of European institutions and (local and national) administrative governments. The proposed model does not provide a solution, but rather defines a process that is able to recognize the particularities of different territorial contexts to yield appropriate, case specific solutions.

Operative Planning with Exchangeable and Mandatory Tasks : Applications to Lot Size Planning and Transportation Planning

Lot-sizing problems of manufacturers and transportation planning problems of forwarders are presented and analyzed in this thesis. These problems represent crucial planning tasks in supply chain management. Due to high fluctuations and competitive markets, companies within supply chains use internal and external resources for the fulfillment of tasks. The thesis claims to contribute to the following topics: (1) introducing mandatory tasks for the DULR, IOTPP, CTPP, and CIOTPP as well as (2) presenting computational studies that demonstrate how much the costs of companies increase due to mandatory tasks. Mandatory tasks are tasks, which have to be fulfilled by appointed resources due to contractual obligations. A lack of research is identified in terms of this topic. It is usually assumed that a task can be fulfilled by any internal or external resources. The thesis describes how these planning tasks with mandatory tasks can be solved by using operations research. Therefore, existing mathematical models and solution approaches have to be extended. The thesis focuses on the determination of the impact of mandatory tasks based on computational studies

Designing the master schedule for demand-adaptive transit systems

Abstract Demand-Adaptive Systems (DAS) display features of both traditional fixed-line bus services and purely on-demand systems such as dial-a-ride, that is they offer demand-responsive services within the framework of traditional scheduled bus transportation. A DAS bus line serves, on one hand, a given set of compulsory stops according to a predefined schedule specifying the time windows associated with each, providing the traditional use of the transit line, without requiring any reservation. On the other hand, passengers may also issue requests for transportation between two desired, optional, stops, which induces detours in the vehicle routes. The design of a DAS line is a complex planning operation that requires to determine not only its design in terms of selecting the compulsory stops, but also its master schedule in terms of the time windows associated with the compulsory stops. Designing a DAS thus combines elements of strategic and tactical planning. In this paper we focus on determining a master-schedule for a single DAS line. We propose a mathematical description and a solution framework based on the estimation of a number of statistical parameters of the demand and the DAS line service. Results of numerical experiments are also given and analyzed

How to Increase Stakeholders’ Involvement while Developing New Governance Model for Urban Logistic: Turin Best Practice

AbstractThis paper reports and describes the desirable effects obtained by the definition, acceptance and deployment of an innovative governance model introduced in Turin (Italy) where an original and well performing stakeholders’ engagement format was developed. A specific pilot has been implemented in order to stimulate – in vivo – the effects of the proposed new governance model. Pilot results did demonstrate that applying the new governance model, based on operational incentives rather than restrictions (pull rather than push measures), it was possible to achieve relevant and sound benefits for the community and an economic saving for each single logistic operator joining to the Recognition Scheme. On the base of such evidence, the City of Turin and Piedmont Region are considering to extend the governance model developed to neighbouring Municipalities. This will provide a fundamental base to build a homogeneous regional bottom-up Logistic Masterplan

Information Society, Work and the Generation of New Forms of Social Exclusion (SOWING): National Report (Portugal)

The choice over the Portuguese case studies was based on the sample constructed for the application of the firm questionnaires, during the second year of the SOWING project, 1999. This sample was fulfilled of firms among several activity sectors: textile, manufacturing, electronics, transports and software industry, based on NACE – codes (2 – digit level). Thus, we agreed to include in a new database the remaining questionnaires and construct a sample with 113 observations. Concerning the organisational change we make a distinction of three categories of change. First we analyse changes taking place at the inter-firm level (outsourcing, subcontracting, geographic relocation), followed by changes at the organisational level (deconcentration/decentralisation, reduction of hierarchical levels, introduction of cost and profit centres). The third kind of changes analysed will be those taking place at the workplace level (job enlargement/enrichment, changing character of work, work load). The Portuguese studied companies presents a relative uniform pattern considering the variables social competencies, practical knowledge, responsibility and specialized professional qualifications.industry; information technologies; qualification; organisation; work

A two-level local search heuristic for pickup and delivery problems in express freight trucking

We consider a multiattribute vehicle routing problem inspired by a freight transportation company operating a fleet of heterogeneous trucks. The company offers an express service for requests including multiple pickup and multiple delivery positions spread in a regional area, with associated soft or hard time windows often falling in the same working day. Routes are planned on a daily basis and reoptimized on-the-fly to fit new requests, taking into account constraints and preferences on capacities, hours of service, route termination points. The objective is to maximize the difference between the revenue from satisfied orders and the operational costs. The problem mixes attributes from both intercity less-than-truckload and express couriers operations, and we propose a two-level local search heuristic. The first level assigns orders to vehicles through a variable neighborhood stochastic tabu search; the second level optimizes the route service sequences. The algorithm, enhanced by neighborhood filtering and parallel exploration, is embedded in a decision support tool currently in use in a small trucking company. Results have been compared to bounds obtained from a mathematical programming model solved by column generation. Experience on the field and test on literature instances attest to the quality of results and the efficiency of the proposed approach

Fixed Route Refueling-Strategy for Fuel Cell Trucks

Road logistics are essential to ensure the smooth flow of production and delivery of goods to their destination. Heavy-duty transportation places high demands on the power supply and driving range. Fuel cell electric powertrains appear to be the most suitable solution in the context of zero-emission targets for long-haul trucks. While several companies are working on the development of drivetrains and vehicle concepts, the supply of the required hydrogen remains a challenge. Many uncertainties in the logistics industry are caused by the lack of hydrogen fuel stations. This paper presents a concept to detect suitable hydrogen fuel stations along a planned route and select those that minimize hydrogen consumption. The concept is applied to a known set of fuel stations in Germany and a fixed route defined by the operational task of the truck. First, fuel stations that are relevant to the operational task are identified. Then, the energy consumption of the refueling strategy is minimized by solving the fixed-route vehicle-refueling problem (FRVRP), taking into account vehicle characteristics and unknowns such as the precise distance to the refueling station. An external application programming interface provides the route information. The optimization is then implemented as a mixed integer program (MIP). The resulting strategy indicates the sequence of fuel stations that need to be visited to reach the route destination in the most energy-efficient way. The implementation of the strategy shows that the operation of heavy-duty hydrogen vehicles in Germany is feasible with certain boundary conditions. Therefore, integrating the refueling strategy into the navigation task to avoid running out of fuel is a step towards reaching the zero-emission targets