Approaches to Managing Freight in Metropolitan Areas

The flow of freight in metropolitan areas has emerged as a major urban planning challenge. Most urban freight moves in trucks. Although trucks make up a relatively small share of all vehicle traffic, they generate a disproportionate share of many externalities, including congestion on local streets and highways, infrastructure damage, vehicle emissions, greenhouse gases, and noise. The purpose of this paper is to examine strategies, policies, and practices that have been implemented in different countries to manage freight impacts on metropolitan areas and assess their effectiveness and potential for transferability.