Comparative analysis of international experiences on urban freight transport: proposals to address its challenges

Abstract

Freight transport in urban environments generates a series of e impacts on the environment such as pollution, congestion, noise, and urban road accidents. However, despite these negative impacts, its undeniable contributions to the vitality of cities must be recognized, as well as the fulfillment of the populations’ needs in regards to consumer goods. This paper aims to perform a comparative analysis of international experiences on urban freight transport, in order to answer several questions related to its mechanisms in order to understand how different industrialized countries’ cities confront their challenges of this nature. A sample of public and private initiatives are assessed from a comparative-inductive methodological perspective as are the results of such plans. The findings of this research depict achievements according to the challenge faced, concluding that lessons derived from the experiences depicted here could guide researchers and government agencies in starting urban freight transport projects in many Latin American cities.