Sketch planning tool for sustainable and resilient urban goods distribution

The urban goods distribution system is a critical component of modern
society. However, the COVID-19 pandemic exposed significant
vulnerabilities in this system, as it struggled to cope with an unforeseen
surge in demand. This crisis highlighted the urgent necessity of
developing a resilient and sustainable urban goods distribution system
capable of efficiently recovering from high-severity disruptions. To
address this challenge, our research team previously developed a novel
analytical model, the Robustness, Redundancy, Resourcefulness, and
Rapidity - Last-Mile Distribution - Resilience Triangle (R4-LMD-RT)
framework. In line with the previous work, this work aims to create a
sketch-planning tool tailored for local jurisdictions, based on the
R4-LMD-RT model. This tool assists in the strategic planning of urban
goods distribution systems, identifying land use requirements and
proposing sustainable and resilient strategies, such as urban
consolidation, micro-hubs, alternative delivery points, and zero-emission
vehicles. As part of a case study, the authors validate the effectiveness
of this planning tool by applying it to the city of Los Angeles for a
COVID-19-like disruption. The outcome of this research paves the way for
more sustainable and resilient urban goods distribution systems in the
post-pandemic world.