California Air Resources Board

Principal Investigator/Author: Miguel Jaller

Contractor: University of California, Davis

Contract number: 21RD015

Project Status: Active

Relevant CARB programs: none

Topic areas: Mobile Sources, Freight and Last-Mile Delivery

Research Summary:

The Contractor will develop a white paper that synthesizes the key literature on the environmental impacts of the urban freight system (UFS) by analyzing distribution, consumption, and travel patterns. Additionally, the white paper will discuss new trends that may affect the system (including demand and supply); summarize the range of strategies, initiatives, and or offerings that are transforming the system; and ultimately, identify those strategies that can improve system's efficiency in California. The UFS has been in continuous transformation for the last two decades, and even experienced significant disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The white paper will describe the system changes and consider them when determining the set of strategies that should be considered in the short term to address current issues and mitigate potential medium-to long-term effects.

Keywords: freight; urban freight; last-mile delivery; urban emissions; COVID-19; e-commerce