Finding the Right Space for Urban Logistics: An Accessibility Analysis for Walking and Cycling to Parcel Lockers
摘要
The rapid expansion of parcel locker systems in urban areas has outpaced regulation and planning processes, creating tensions around the use of public space, accessibility, and environmental impact. This chapter presents a structured approach that has been used as a framework for the sustainable and equitable integration of open parcel locker systems into city logistics strategies. The framework’s methodology combined interdepartmental collaboration, stakeholder engagement, academic research, international benchmarking, and spatial analysis to identify optimal deployment strategies. The framework’s application in the City of Groningen resulted in a set of design and spatial guidelines to support accessibility for active travel, enhance existing and planned multimodal infrastructure such as mobility hubs, and align with broader mobility, public space aesthetics, and zero-emission goals. The framework made a meaningful contribution in practice, helping to shape a city’s tendering process. The approach, as well as the design recommendations, provide a transferable model for municipalities and logistics providers seeking to balance efficiency, accessibility, equity, and sustainability in out-of-home last-mile delivery infrastructure.