Freight-Efficient Land Uses: Methodology, Strategies, and Tools

Jose Holguin-Veras, Diana Ramirez-Rios, Juvena Ng, Jeffrey Wojtowicz, Daniel Haake, Catherine T. Lawson, Oriana Calderón, Benjamin Caron and Cara Wang
Additional contact information
Jose Holguin-Veras: VREF Center of Excellence for Sustainable Urban Freight Systems, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, USA
Diana Ramirez-Rios: VREF Center of Excellence for Sustainable Urban Freight Systems, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, USA
Juvena Ng: VREF Center of Excellence for Sustainable Urban Freight Systems, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, USA
Jeffrey Wojtowicz: VREF Center of Excellence for Sustainable Urban Freight Systems, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, USA
Daniel Haake: HDR Inc., Indianapolis, IN 46290, USA
Catherine T. Lawson: Department of Geography and Planning, University at Albany, Albany, NY 12222, USA
Oriana Calderón: VREF Center of Excellence for Sustainable Urban Freight Systems, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, USA
Benjamin Caron: VREF Center of Excellence for Sustainable Urban Freight Systems, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, USA
Cara Wang: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, USA

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 6, 1-24

Abstract: Land-use planning and policymaking is central to how communities manage their economic activity and the social and environmental impacts these activities produce. Because of this central role, enhancing land-use practices to better incorporate the needs and impacts of freight activity has strong potential to improve the efficiency of their associated supply chains. This paper summarizes the key findings of the NCFRP 08-111 project on “Freight-Efficient Land Uses (FELUs)”, probably the most comprehensive research project to date aimed at designing policy procedures to foster land-uses that minimize the private and external costs associated with the production, transportation, and consumption of goods. As part of the paper, the authors define freight efficient land-uses, identify the principles that should guide the process towards FELUs, outline the process to develop FELU plans and programs, propose to analyze the freight efficiency of current and future land uses in their jurisdictions, and identify complementary initiatives (both land-use and transportation related) that could help mitigate the negative impacts on local communities. The authors discuss three illustrative cases that provide evidence on how land-use decisions produce unintended effects on local communities. The paper explains how decision makers can carefully consider the FELU principles in their planning and avoid or mitigate such negative results.

Keywords: freight efficiency; land use; urban planning (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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