Truck-Free-Amsterdam: Remodelling a sustainable Urban Freight Transport System in the city of Amsterdam

Cities are on a constant move. People hurry from home to work, from business meetings to sports clubs, or from shopping tours back home. Cars, trucks, bicycles and scooters are rolling along streets, bringing people and goods to their destinations. But sometimes this never-ending movement staggers, and with it the dynamism that is the trademark of cities. Streets are lined with parked cars and trucks, congestions are clocking streets, the noise of horns are sometimes deafening, and smog levels are on a dangerous level for citizens. Cities are facing major challenges when it comes to one of the fundamentals of sustainable, prospering and liveable cities: the transportation of people and goods.More and more people will live in cities and enter the middle class. By 2030, 60 percent of the global population will live in urban areas. With entering the middle-class people also want to buy cars. Automotive analysts forecast that the current worldwide car fleet of 1.2 billion cars could double by 2030 (Shannon Bouton, 2015). The existing urban infrastructure cannot cope with such an increase of road vehicles in the future. Traffic jams are already in many cities unbearable and jeopardies the economic prosperity of countries. Los of time, wasted fuel, and increased cost of doing business are lowering nations GDP by around 2-4 percent. The world health organization estimates seven million premature deaths due to air pollution, occurred by urban transportation (WHO, 2014). Therefore, the current urban transportation has to be rethought to contribute to the future of liveable and sustainable cities. But most of the research on urban transportation focuses on developing sustainable passenger transport solutions. The debate focuses on the effects of car traffic in urban regions and not on the problems generated by freight movements (Philippe Lebeau, 2014). Urban freight transportation is the transportation of consumer goods, waste, raw materials and related services. Looking at the impact of urban freight transportation on cities, it can be considered as a major challenge for sustainable urban development. A study illustrates that 17 percent of the total road movements is related to deliveries and collections in the city of London and will rise in the coming years up to 25 percent (Hendy, 2011). In Brussels 25 percent of the CO2 emissions, 33 percent of particular matter and 32 percent of PM10 are produced by heavy duty vehicles (Philippe Lebeau, 2014). The stated numbers are general numbers for all urban freight movements. There are no specific numbers available about the share of the different freight flows on the negative impact on the city environment. But it can be expected that each flow has a significant share on the negative impacts. Therefore, the development of sustainable urban freight transport solutions should be anticipated by different professions. For the following research consumer good transportation is taken, due to the complexity of each freight flow. Consumer good transportation is the transportation of perishable goods (food, beverages, etc.) and non-perishable goods (electronics, clothes, furniture, parcels). The following research tests an alternative consumer good transport system and its necessary spatial implications for the city of Amsterdam, by utilizing alternative transport vehicles. Alternative transport vehicles, like drones, autonomous vehicles, cargo bikes, cargo trams etc. are an alternative to transport goods without trucks or vans. It could lead towards a more sustainable urban freight transportation. But these vehicles have specific spatial and infrastructural requirements as well as specific transport capacities. But there is no research about, how to apply spatially a different transport system with alternative transport vehicles to a specific urban context. This would be an important step to illustrate municipalities, residents and companies the positive and negative impacts on a city of a different transport system. It could help to steer decision maker towards sustainable urban freight transport solutions. Therefore, it is very important as spatial designer to contribute to the discussion on sustainable urban freight transportation with spatial solutions for a different transport system.To do so the following steps were taken. First the urban freight transport system of Amsterdam is analysed and the occurred negative impacts, congestions, noise pollution and air pollution are mapped. These problems will increase in the coming years even more, because of the growing e-commerce sector and population. New transport technologies, like autonomous vehicles, drones, shared mobility, or drones are promising to cope with the growing demand on deliveries and reduce the negative impacts of urban freight transportation on cities. To test the sustainable potentials and spatial effects of alternative transport vehicles a vision, Truck-Free Amsterdam, is formulated. It suggests banning all delivery trucks and vans from the inner A10 ring by 2040. To transport the demanded goods to the city three alternative transport vehicles are chosen. The analysis of alternative transport vehicles concludes, that cargo trams, boats and bikes are the most promising to reduce the negative impacts of the current transport system in the context of Amsterdam. To test the potentials of cargo trams, boats and bikes four test sites are chosen with different land use and existing infrastructure. The design strategy follows the GeoDesign approach by Carl Steinitz. Afterwards a conceptual city strategy is developed with the findings of the test sites. In conclusion can be said that the suggested alternative transport system is capable of transporting the same volume as the current system, by reducing the negative impacts of congestions, noise pollution and air pollution. The spatial implications are minor changes in the urban fabric and could give opportunities to develop additional public spaces. Further some streets in residential neighbourhoods could be developed into traffic calmed streets.However, with the suggested transport system some challenges will come. Not all products can be transported with the new transport system. Bulky, frozen and dangerous goods have to be transported by a different transport solution. Around the located large city distribution centres a high frequency of traffic will occur, which could lead to congestions and a disturbing noise level in the surroundings. Because of the demanded security fences, they will be separated islands of the surroundings and are hard to combine with other functions. Around the inner-city transport stops road traffic disturbances, a disturbing noise level and limited mobility of people through the fenced transport stops is likely to happen. This could lead to a relocation of specific functions and lowering the real estate price of the surrounding buildings. Another difficulty of the suggested transport system is to find mutual agreements on developing the new transport system with all delivery companies, which are now highly competitive. With the growing urban population and the rising demand for home deliveries the current system will come to its limits. The suggested research suggests an alternative transport system and applies it to the city of Amsterdam. It is shows that the transport capacity is the same by reducing the negative impacts. The constrains of the new transport system should be taken into consideration if cities want to develop sustainable urban freight transport solutions.Urban Metabolism & Smart Citie