An economic and environmental framework for assessing urban last-mile logistics

Classical last-mile logistics in urban contexts are costly and result in high emissions. Micro depots with cargo bikes, parcel lockers, and parcel shops can address these inefficiencies. However, uncertainty remains about how companies should design their distribution network considering these options and the possible combinations thereof. This study, thus, presents an integrated time- and quantity-based accounting methodology that consists of three parts: a generic framework that allows for a combination of different transportation modes, a discussion of methodologies for performance assessment based on this framework (feature-less or feature-based), and an approach to convert the time- and quantity-based performance to the economic and environmental impact, i.e. with regard to costs and emissions. The results demonstrate the potential of integrating various delivery systems and highlight the framework's ability to enable decision making for companies and policymakers.