Categorization of urban logistics concepts according to their sustainability performance

The transport-related externalities of the urban logistics system impact the urban environment and the health of the citizens: there is a need to improve the sustainability of the system. In this paper, we use a framework for sustainability performance assessment and a literature review to analyse the urban logistics concepts of electrification, consolidation, cargo bikes and automation. In the literature, there is a focus on pollution, while a holistic perspective on sustainability is lacking. A Sustainability Performance Assessment (SPA) matrix is the main result of this paper, as a tool for comparing the concepts and understanding how they can be combined to achieve integrated benefits. To make informed decisions, stakeholders need knowledge from a holistic perspective. The findings presented in this paper are a first step to achieving this required knowledge.