Urban freight and the impact of COVID-19

Sandra Melo and Kenneth Button

A chapter in Elgar Encyclopedia of Transport and Society, 2025, pp 440-441 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: The pandemic context accelerated digitalisation processes and services on urban freight transport and contributed to the emergence of solutions adapted to the new and more complex consumer requirements. Now, in the post-pandemic phase, the freight transport industry must adapt to the dynamic demand from final customers by investing and innovating in transport technologies and services. Additionally, it must integrate its needs with local stakeholders as there are emerging new challenges and opportunities for cities. Five years after the world faced COVID-19, neither the duration nor the intensity of behavioural changes can be accurately forecasted, let alone be precisely evaluated in terms of their impacts on mobility. The entry identifies certain trends in what is possible to conclude based on recent data and applied assumptions grounded on the scientific literature. These trends can indicate a range of possible developments that are highly relevant for urban freight transport policy, both for industry and cities.

Keywords: Urban freight transport; Post-pandemic trends; Sustainability; Digitalisation; COVID-19; City logistics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
ISBN: 9781035330515
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