Urban freight transport is a challenge for Brazilian cities due to the lack of adequate planning for freight flow movement. Public managers also show negligence and a lack of awareness when dealing with urban logistics. Decision-support data on urban freight transport are still scarce, despite being of fundamental value to economic development. With this in mind, this paper presents problems and solutions regarding urban freight transport in Brazilian cities. Data were obtained through a survey conducted in nine cities and analysed by means of descriptive statistics and the successive intervals method. Additionally, a cluster analysis was performed to identify patterns regarding the typical characteristics of each city in order to compare and generalise the perception of retailers regarding problems and solutions at the national level. The results indicate divergent opinions among retailers from different cities, even from cities with similar socioeconomic profiles and urban dynamics. The municipalities which demonstrated the most similarities were (i) Betim and Niteroi, in the Southeast of Brazil; (ii) Palmas and Quixada, in the North and Northeast, respectively; and (iii) Palmas and Caruaru, also in the North and Northeast. The results reinforce the importance of studying the local context and involving stakeholders in the process of planning urban logistics solutions.

The collection and delivery points (CDP) are an alternative to home deliveries and an important opportunity to reduce failed deliveries within urban areas. In this study, we propose to analyze the accessibility from CDPs located in commercial establishments (drugstores, gas stations, post offices, supermarkets, and malls) considered most attractive by e-consumers to receive this delivery solution. The methodological approach uses spatial analysis to identify the coverage area of the CDPs considering socioeconomic data and e-consumer preferences. Also, spatial tools to analyze the accessibility of CDPs were used, considering the transport infrastructure, the population location, and job opportunities location through different transport modes. The results indicated differences in levels of accessibility between the CDPs, highlighting the important associations among economic activities, land use patterns, and transport to plan for sustainable cities. The use of cluster analysis methods as a methodological approach is one contribution and can be replicated to support decision-making in other cities.

The location of logistics facilities is important for urban freight transport. Several metropolitan regions have identified that logistics facilities are relocating to suburban areas outside city center boundaries. This phenomenon is known as logistics sprawl. In this paper, we present an analysis of the logistics sprawl phenomenon in the Belo Horizonte Metropolitan Area (Brazil) between 1995 and 2015, through spatial analysis. The results show a logistics sprawl indicator (average change in the standard distance to the center of gravity) of 1.2 km (17.8 km in 1995 and 19 km in 2015). In addition, we explored the spatial correlation between socioeconomic data and the location of warehouses. In 2015, 80% of warehouses were located in the high-income area. Additionally, most of the warehouses were located within a two-kilometer buffer from the axis of the road and in a five-kilometer buffer from the railroad. Finally, we defined the service areas of the warehouses considering a maximum distance through the network of 5, 10, and 15 km. In 2015, the 15-km service area had a coverage of 89% of the population in the study area.