This paper presents effective and efficient solutions for components of urban logistics. The specificity of such logistics and the multiple limitations led to particular solutions. However, they all share one common feature—the flow consolidation in different variants. This study considers the flow consolidation at the boundary of urban congested areas, through horizontal collaboration between logistic platforms. This way, the urban distribution centers (UDCs) receive all the goods according to the orders addressed to each producer (or group in case of “on-going consolidations”). Deliveries are addressed to a single logistic platform. Thus, the flow consolidation is achieved. Each logistic platform receives part of the consumer goods intended for commercialization, but through collaboration between them (freight exchanges), all the warehouses of the producers have all the ordered goods. Dedicated management of logistics platforms and warehouses within each UDC ensures the confidentiality of distributor data. Three scenarios are presented concerning the same pattern of flow addressed to each UDC. These scenarios differ by the accessibility of the logistics platforms and by the connection between them (due to infrastructure development). The methodology of choosing the variants for composing the flow sent from each logistics platform considered the minimization of transfer times to UDC warehouses. Synthetic indicators allow for comparison between the analyzed scenarios.

As automation technologies continue to advance within the automotive industry, urban road traffic is gradually shifting from conventional driving toward fully autonomous. This transition is supported by the progressive integration of partially automated functions, such as Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) and lane-keeping assistance, which are already implemented in commercial vehicles and increasingly affect both individual driving behavior and overall traffic flow dynamics. The main purpose of this research is to evaluate the impact of automated vehicles presence in a complex signalized intersection under mixed traffic conditions, considering different penetration rates and demand levels. A review of previous modeling approaches from the literature was conducted, highlighting critical aspects to be considered in the design and simulation of road traffic. Field traffic data were collected and used as input for a microsimulation model developed in AIMSUN. A base scenario and a 20% growth scenario were analyzed to assess the impact of AV-ACC penetration, varying the AV-ACC’s rates in traffic composition. The results indicate that increased AV-ACC penetration rates, especially beyond 50%, contribute significantly to improving traffic stability and efficiency.

To make possible the integration and harmonization as well as the orchestration of independent logistics operations, smart platforms and platform ecosystems are necessary to effectively connect the providers of sustainable transport solutions and those who need them. Since the beginning of 2023, incoming EU regulations regarding minimum standards for EU Climate Transition Benchmarks demand large companies to also report their emissions caused by subcontracting services. In response to this opening, we surveyed the past and ongoing experiences, we identified as well as explored the barriers that may determine a hindering effect, and we proposed an integrative framework for platform-based business models for sustainable logistics (PBM-SL) so as to contribute to designing business models for logistics, with the purpose of assisting any interested party in developing such a model for transport and logistics and of facilitating the insertion of sustainability issues among different platform solutions to optimize freight flows and drive logistics to climate neutrality.

An intermediate hub might increase the accessibility level of ports but also hinterland and so it can be considered more than a facility with a transhipment role. These hubs might lead to the development of other transport services and enhance their role in gathering and covering economic centres within hinterlands and also getting the part of logistic facility for the ports, with effects on port utilization and its connectivity to global economy. A new location for a hub terminal leads to reduced transport distances within hinterland, with decreased transport costs and external effects, so with gains in people's life quality. Because the production and distribution systems are relatively fixed on short and medium term and the location decisions are strategic and on long term, the logistic chains activities location models have to consider the uncertainties regarding the possible future situations. In most models, production costs are considered equal, the location problem reducing itself to a problem that aims to minimize the total transport costs, meaning the transport problem. The main objective of the paper is to locate a hub terminal that links the producers of cereals that are going to be exported by naval transportation with the Romanian fluvial-maritime ports (Galaţi, Brăila). GIS environment can be used to integrate and analyse a great amount of data and has the ability of using functions as location - allocation models necessary both to private and public sector, being able to determine the optimal location for services like factories, warehouses, logistic platforms and other public services.

The paper highlights the contribution of the road traffic to PM_2.5air pollution, taking in consideration the atmospheric parameters. But, despite other studies, temperature and relative humidity are considered as moderating variable. The concentration of particulate matter is also influenced by local geography, urban structure, and streets shape. The case study was done in Bucharest, in an open area. The PM_2.5air concentration time series is proved stationary, an autoregressive model with two lags being tested. While the main effects of road traffic and humidity are significant, temperature has not a significant direct effect. But both moderators show interactive effects. The conditional effects are getting down with increase in temperature and humidity, due to changes in air dynamics and precipitation phenomena.

Automated parcel lockers (APLs) are transforming urban last-mile delivery by reducing failed distributions, decoupling delivery from recipient availability, optimizing carrier routes, reducing carbon foot-print and mitigating traffic congestion. The paper investigates the optimal design of APLs systems under stochastic demand and operational constraints, formulating the problem as a resource allocation optimization with service-level guarantees. We proposed a data-driven discrete-event simulation (DES) model implemented in ARENA to (i) determine optimal locker configurations that ensure customer satisfaction under stochastic parcel arrivals and dwell times, (ii) examine utilization patterns and spatial allocation to enhance system operational efficiency, and (iii) characterize inventory dynamics of undelivered parcels and evaluate system resilience. The results show that the configuration of locker types significantly influences the system’s ability to maintain high customers service levels. While flexibility in locker allocation helps manage excess demand in some configurations, it may also create resource competition among parcel types. The heterogeneity of locker utilization gradients underscores that optimal APLs configurations must balance locker units with their size-dependent functional interdependencies. The Dickey–Fuller GLS test further validates that postponed parcels exhibit stationary inventory dynamics, ensuring scalability for logistics operators. As a theoretical contribution, the paper demonstrates how DES combined with time-series econometrics can address APLs capacity planning in city logistics. For practitioners, the study provides a decision-support framework for locker sizing, emphasizing cost–service trade-offs.