City Logistics. In: The International Encyclopedia of Geography: People, the Earth, Environment, and Technology

City logistics represents more than the mere transportation of goods within urban areas. It can be defined as any service provision contributing to efficiently managing the movements of goods in cities and providing innovative responses to customer demands. As such, city logistics does not apply well to the way goods are currently delivered and picked up in cities worldwide as a significant portion of these activities remains inefficient and impact urban environments. As urban freight challenges increase in cities worldwide, new logistics services have emerged, especially in areas having high levels of activities such as city centers. Although not yet significant in terms of volume and environmental benefits, these practices provide new directions for more sustainable city logistics activities, with diverse applications around the world