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Freight-efficient land use strategy

UNCHAIN’s Freight-efficient Land Use Strategy

Recommendations on how to allocate land uses for efficient urban freight

UNCHAIN aims to support urban planners and cities with tools and guidance to better understand and manage the complexities of urban freight dynamics. A key outcome of this work is the creation of a Handbook, designed to support urban planners in efficiently integrating freight into land-use planning. The handbook will provide actionable recommendations for strategically allocating land uses to optimize urban freight distribution while identifying the most effective logistics solutions for different city areas.

To achieve these objectives, UNCHAIN integrates findings from literature reviews, freight generation models, and co-creation processes. This approach enables the definition of new land uses and typological mixes, combining residential, commercial, leisure, and industrial spaces to foster sustainable mobility patterns. The aim is not just to address current logistics challenges but also to anticipate and optimize for future needs.

Our UNCHAIN Living Labs in Madrid, Florence, and Berlin serve as practical demonstration sites, testing and refining these strategies. Each city showcases unique applications:

  • Florence: Demonstrates how KER6 and KER11 adapt to high urban density within a historical center.
  • Berlin: Highlights using KER4 and KER12 in medium-density areas with a strong residential focus.
  • Madrid: Explores how KER8 and KER13 can enhance logistics in medium-density zones with a mix of residential and commercial activities.

The handbook will not only introduce key concepts in land-use strategy but also provide visual representations of defined solutions for each city area, guiding urban planners in adapting these insights to their own cities. Through this resource, UNCHAIN supports cities in creating efficient, sustainable freight systems that are adaptable to local contexts and future-proofed for evolving urban needs.

When can you get our Handbook?

The Handbook, part of UNCHAIN’s Work Package 4 (WP4) – “Urban Logistics Services Marketplace: Urban Planning and Policymaking” – is set for official release in April 2025. This launch marks month 24 of the UNCHAIN project and will provide urban planners with a comprehensive resource for integrating sustainable freight solutions into their cities.