Exploring the Transportation and Land Use Impacts of E-Commerce

E-commerce is growing—it is estimated that e-commerce sales now account for more than 10% of total retail sales in the U.S. The continued maturation of the e-commerce market is fueling a significant growth in warehousing, changing the nature of brick-and-mortar retail, and creating a surge in parcel volumes, which means deliveries are up. Way up. The New York Times recently reported that 1.5 million packages are delivered daily in New York City. In order to meet this demand for delivery, businesses are looking for new and creative ways to deliver packages to consumers, including attempting to automate the last mile. What does this growth in e-commerce and urban freight mean for our transportation system? What are the land use implications? What kinds of strategies are being employed to manage the influx of deliveries? This seminar will explore these questions, as well as touch on local research efforts to better understand urban freight trip generation.https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/trec_seminar/1184/thumbnail.jp