In Europe, shopping habits have changed fast during the last decade and a high percentage of consumers now shop online. E-commerce for physical goods generates a significant demand for dedicated delivery services, and results in increasingly difficult last mile logistics. In particular home delivery services, which are usually the preferred option by the online consumers, contribute to the atomization of parcel flows thus causing particular problems within the urban areas. However, alternative delivery solutions are growing fast, especially in metropolitan areas The purpose of this article is to compare the alternatives to home delivery that have been developed by French and German parcel delivery operators which developed pick-up points in stores and automated lockers networks. The paper includes an analysis of the key drivers of the development of the two emblematic delivery services (pick-up points and lockers), with reference to the strategies of service providers and e-commerce firms as well as consumer preferences

In this paper, we propose to identify the location of parcel transport terminals in the Paris region (the “Ile-de-France”), and discuss its impacts on Paris urban goods’ movements and their carbon footprint.We present the gradual relocation of parcel transport's terminals from the urban cores in the 1970s to the outer suburban today. We evaluate whether this movement of “logistics sprawl” (the historical trend towards spatial deconcentration of logistics terminals in metropolitan areas) has an environmental and CO2 impact on the Paris region. Representations of these gradual relocations are shown on maps using MapInfo and a centrographic analysis was conducted to evaluate an average of the deconcentration of terminal locations over the period 1974-2008. A centrographic analysis is a spatial analysis of geographic data using central tendency indicators. We, then, analyze the increased mileage resulting from these more distant terminals and we translate it into net added CO2 emissions. The main results of our research are that a net addition of 15,000 tonnes per year of CO2 emissions resulted from the change in location patterns of parcel and express transport terminals since the 1970s.In this paper, we discuss the methodology chosen to evaluate freight transport's CO2 impacts in Paris. The net CO2 impacts of teminals’ relocation is also compared to the savings of CO2 emissions resulting from the city logistics’ experimental schemes that have received much attention in the last few years in Paris.The last part of our paper explores potential strategies for preventing further logistics sprawl in the coming years and mitigating the congestion and CO2 impacts of logistics in urban areas

This exploratory paper contributes to a new body of research that investigates the potential of digital market places to disrupt transport and mobility services. We are specifically looking at the urban freight sector, where numerous app-based services have emerged in recent years. The paper specifically looks at ‘instant deliveries,’ i.e. services providing on-demand delivery within two hours – by either private individuals, independent contractors, or employees – by connecting consignors, couriers and consignees via a digital platform. The paper provides an overview of the main issues concerning instant deliveries, supported by data (including a survey of 96 courier delivery providers) and examples. After presenting a typology of companies (digital platforms) involved in ‘instant deliveries,’ we question in what way they transform the urban freight current patterns. We highlight four issues, discussing their potential to impact urban freight services and related policies in European cities: 1) Freight trips and data; 2) Business models; 3) Labor legislation and work conditions; and 4) Local public policies. We conclude by saying that predicting the medium-term consequences of these changes is difficult, but it is essential that city planning and policies take account of these developments and consider how planning and possibly regulation needs to be adapted to these new ways of doing things.