451R_Defining the interface between city logistics and urban design: A systematic literature review

Are you interested in how urban logistics and urban design are connected? Debate of the article titled Defining the interface between city logistics and urban design: a systematic literature review from 2026, by Jiayu Joslyn Sun, Lóránt Tavasszy, and Ron van Duin, published in the Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives journal.This is a great preparation to our next interview with Ron van Duin in episode 452 talking about the connection between urban freight and planning. Since we are investigating the future of cities, I thought it would be interesting to see how freight activities increasingly impact the functional and aesthetic quality of metropolitan environments. This article suggests that while functional and morphological aspects are well-studied, the social, perceptual, and visual impacts of logistics remain significantly overlooked.Find the article through this link.Abstract: Logistics services have become crucial in shaping urban spaces and influencing urban dynamics. However, despite growing scholarly and policy attention in recent years, their implications for urban design remain unevenly addressed and insufficiently integrated across themes and methods. Addressing the challenges of urban freight transport does not rely solely on transportation perspectives but instead requires interdisciplinary collaboration. This study conducts a systematic literature review following the PRISMA protocol to examine city logistics through an urban design lens, guided by a framework of six urban design dimensions. The main objectives are to introduce an urban design perspective into the urban freight transport discourse, identify existing research gaps, and propose a framework for future studies. A total of 83 publications were reviewed. A descriptive bibliometric analysis shows that scholarly attention to this topic has significantly increased in the past two years. An inductive thematic analysis reveals four thematic clusters: (1) problematisation, (2) analysis of traffic conflicts, (3) curbside design and management, and (4) freight facility integration. By synthesising these thematic patterns, the study proposes research opportunities within each urban design dimension to guide future investigation. The paper contributes to the literature by offering a comprehensive understanding of freight transport from an urban design perspective, conceptualising urban design as distinct from other urban research fields, and outlining cross-disciplinary pathways that can bridge city logistics and urban design.Connected episodes you might be interested in:No.344 - Interview with Mark Coates about challenges of urban deliveryNo.439R - How autonomous vehicles can affect anomalies of urban transportationNo.440 - Interview with John Rossant about the urban mobility revolution