The importance of a proper regulatory and policy framework

This section of the training was led by Lorena Axinte – PhD and Senior Mobility Consultant at Bax & Company. The use-case provided as basis for the discussion covered the rapid increase of micro-hubs, dark stores and dark kitchens. The approach that the ULaaDS city of Groningen took in response to this unforeseen development was given to participants as an example of an agile administration that took an emerging issue as an occasion to review their policies and regulations in light of new trends.  

The discussion that followed in the four round-tables aimed at answering the following question: what is needed to set up a proper regulatory and policy framework? How can cities become more agile and re-adapt their policies and regulations in a fast-changing world?

Effective stakeholder engagement and cooperation

This section of the training was led by Domien Stubbe – Project Leader at the Flanders Institute for Logistics (VIL). Domien provide two use-cases coming from the ULaaDS trials in Mechelen and Groningen. The Mechelen use-case highlighted the complexities of bringing together three different logistics service providers (bPost, UPS and ECOkoeriers) for collaborative delivery models. The Groningen use-case was presented to showcase the long-term approach to stakeholder engagement in the Dutch city and the role that the involvement of local shopkeepers had in the implementation of a vehicles sharing measure in the ULaaDS trial. 

The discussion that followed in the four round-tables aimed at answering the following question: what are some best practices related to stakeholder engagement for realizing significant change in cities? How to approach and gather stakeholders? Who takes the lead in these conversations? What is the frequency you bring together stakeholders?

The role of cities in fostering the flourishing of new business models

This section of the training was led by Arianna Americo – Project and Forum Coordinator at Eurocities. Arianna built on the previously presented Groningen case and expanded by adding insights from one of the Bremen trials. With the Groningen use-case, it was showcased how a strong vision and regulatory framework set by the city can drive innovation and the development of new business models. While with the Bremen case an alternative scenario was provided where a bottom-up initiative coming from NGO aimed at filling a gap for citizens, with the local authority acting as a facilitator rather than an initiator.

The discussion that followed in the four round-tables aimed at answering the following question: what role can cities play to ensure that urban logistics will develop sustainably and in synch with overarching public policy goals? What is the role of local authorities in fostering the testing, piloting and adoption of new business models for sustainable logistics?

Looking for the right technology

This section of the training was led by Levent Saran – Sustainable Mobility Consultant at Rupprecht Consult. Levent introduced two different use-cases from Bremen and Mechelen. The Bremen use-case looked at containerized microhubs while the Mechelen case illustrated the use of an autonomous vehicle for cargo hitching.

The discussion that followed in the four round-tables aimed at answering the following question: how can cities push for the adoption of new technologies that will be in line with the cities’ (sustainability) goals? What options are already available, what experiences have been made?

Target setting, indicators and monitoring

This section of the training was led by Domien Stubbe, who presented a series of specific challenges related to data collection in the urban logistics context. Building on ULaaDS experience with data-gathering for evaluation purposes, the presentation focused on three key aspects: baseline identification, definition of the expected outcomes of the measure(s) and establishing the right KPIs. 

The discussion that followed in the four round-tables aimed at answering the following question: in projects, who delivers data to measure the impact? The city, companies,…? How do you convince companies to share data / insights with you? How do you address ‘sensitive’ data? Which security/safety measures do you provide in data-gathering?

Setting the scene for implementation

This section of the training was led by Lorena Axinte. The use-case provided as basis for the discussion covered the development of a framework for collection and delivery points in Groningen. The case presented illustrated how the city of Groningen moved from a piloting phase – with the testing of parcel lockers in specific locations – to the development of a comprehensive framework which would establish the vision, rules and expected results for collection and delivery points roll-out. The objective of this presentation was to create a basis for a discussion with the participants on different approaches to sustainable urban logistics planning, analyzing the pros and cons of two possible option:

• Implementing pilots and testing to gather insights for policy making, versus
• Establishing a policy regulatory framework in the first place (i.e. a SULP) and moving to implementation afterwards