The consequences of institutional design on collaborative arrangements’ power to influence urban freight policymaking

Karin Fossheim, Jardar Andersen, The consequences of institutional design on collaborative arrangements’ power to influence urban freight policymaking, Case Studies on Transport Policy, Volume 10, Issue 2, 2022, Pages 1325-1331, ISSN 2213-624X, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cstp.2022.04.017 (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213624X2200092X)Collaborative governance is becoming increasingly important as a mode of urban freight policymaking. Bringing together actors from private and public sectors in forums makes it possible to move beyond general discussions of delivery challenges to the innovation of joint solutions and lasting improvements to the freight transport system. For such cross-sector collaborations to function, participants must experience a sense of power to influence policy. The institutional design, i.e., the inclusiveness of the collaboration and the interdependence between the participants, may condition this possibility. Consequently, this article investigates how the institutional design of collaborative arrangements associated with urban freight affects participants’ perceptions of power to influence policymaking. We interviewed 37 participants in three different collaborations in Oslo, Norway. The results indicate that institutional design affects participants’ perceptions of power to influence policymaking. Inclusive collaborations, in which participants are not interdependent, provide participants with the most power to influence policy, rather than exclusive collaborations, in which participants are highly interdependent.The consequences of institutional design on collaborative arrangements’ power to influence urban freight policymakingpublishedVersio

The emergence of lean construction in the Norwegian AEC industry

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Plan for sustainable urban logistics – comparing between Scandinavian and UK practices

Introduction Common practices in current urban logistics planning in Scandinavia and the UK, and the degree to which SUTP (Sustainable Urban Transport Plan), SUMP (Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans) and SULP (Sustainable Urban Logistics Plans) guidelines are used, are examined in this paper. Methods A systematic literature review identifies relevant studies based on predefined inclusion criteria: mobility, freight, urban, plan. Results It is found that urban freight plans are used more frequently in the UK than in the Scandinavian countries. SULPs (freight strategies, action plans or parts of a mobility plan) follow a structure that identifies the current situation and defines the strategic context, vision, targets and objectives using selected policy measures, measures that are dependent on geographical scope. Conclusions Urban freight plans are designed with a sustainability perspective to define visions and policy measures for urban freight. SUTP, SUMP and SULP methodologies are used in existing Scandinavian and UK urban freight plans, especially when a collaborative planning approach is being practiced. The emphasis on urban freight is challenged by the regional perspective. Integrating urban freight in general planning procedures or transport planning is important. Government guidance and sustainable strategies can provide a planning methodology and, therefore, based on national guidelines further European structural standardisation could be beneficial. Identification of freight plans is crucial if the contributions they make are to be determined

Private public collaboration on logistics in Norwegian cities

This paper presents conclusions from a survey among urban freight actors in the four biggest cities in Norway (Oslo, Bergen, Stavanger and Trondheim). The survey focus on logistic operations and transport decisions affecting the city logistics. In the studied cities we found that there is lack of emphasis on urban logistics and urban freight transport planning. The survey indicates that the missing focus on logistic activities is due to lack of co-ordination among actors involved in urban logistics, and often insufficient dialogue between city authorities and private actors who operate in the cities. Representatives from the industries do not always understand the municipal planning processes and on which level of bureaucracy the plans are accomplished. To solve challenges a suggestion related to urban logistics and collaboration among private and public actors is to develop structured Urban Logistic Plans. A part of such plans should be the involvement of all stakeholders in the exploitation and processes of development. The stakeholders must also be involved in policy development and strategic planning processes. The survey indicates that congestion and access to centrally located loading and unloading zones are the biggest problem for freight transport in Norwegian urban areas. From the industry, there is a request that loading and unloading zones must be incorporated as part of land use plans. It was also stressed that local authorities must include plans for goods deliveries in line with services from taxi and public transport in sustainable urban mobility plans (SUMPs)

Better Use of Delivery Spaces in Oslo

The lack of space in urban areas is an important barrier to efficient freight deliveries. Available space in urban city centres has to be shared between different activities and actors, including public transport operators, private car users, taxis, cyclists and pedestrians in addition to freight operators. The lack of access to appropriate freight delivery spaces increases the time needed for deliveries and the distances truck drivers have to walk between their vehicles and the receivers of goods. This lack of space is one of the issues that the ongoing project Green Urban Distribution (GUD) deals with. The project is set to develop environmental friendly and efficient solutions for urban freight distribution in Oslo, the capital of Norway, by (1) better use of road spaces, (2) better use of day and week time and (3) to demonstrate usage of environmentally friendly and energy efficient vehicles for unmanned deliveries. One of the tasks in the GUD project has been to study delivery spaces on a street in the centre of Oslo and to analyse whether the delivery spaces could be better utilised. This work included 6 days of observations of vehicles using delivery spaces in two separate locations, as well as interviews with stakeholders, including drivers, shop workers and shop owners. The collected data have been used to analyse potential effects from giving designated vehicles exclusive right to use the delivery spaces at certain times. The aim of this paper is twofold. Firstly, it gives an understanding on how delivery spaces intended for freight loading and unloading are used by different actors with different tasks and functions. Secondly, the paper presents alternative prioritization schemes for freight vehicles for these delivery spaces and outlines some of the costs and benefits. The analyses will give decision makers an increased understanding of the potential effects of such access restrictions

Comparing Deliveries to On-street Consignees and Consignees Located at Shopping Centers

The main contribution of this paper is three-fold. First, it maps the delivery structure for on-street consignees and consignees located at shopping centers. In general, micro-data regarding urban freight is sparse, thus this survey greatly contributes to the general knowledge about number of deliveries and number of freight vehicles in Oslo. This information is important to take into account for bottom-up calculations of traffic impacts. This includes private costs of freight, but also socio-economic external costs related to local and global emissions, noise, increased congestion and increased chances of traffic accidents. Second, through surveys amongst employees and drivers, car counts and GPS data, we have identified and quantified an important cost difference between on-street consignees and consignees at shopping centers, namely the increased cost due to lower capacity for on-street consignees. The expected additional cost per vehicle related to low capacity is estimated to be NOK 49 (the additional cost per delivery will obviously depend on number of deliveries per vehicle). This is important information from a policy perspective, and suggests that both (1) increasing capacity for on-street deliveries in the city center and (2) facilitating for shopping centers with dedicated unloading spaces will reduce both private costs for transport operators and consignees, and external costs related to emissions and congestion. Third, we give recommendations for mitigating the problem of space restrictions for on-street deliveries in the city center. This approach consist of two elements: (1) deliveries before or after stores’ opening hours and (2) deliveries to a buffer storage location with a dedicated unloading space