Mobility Restrictions and E-Commerce: Holistic Balance in Madrid Centre during COVID-19 Lockdown

COVID-19 has brought about a substantial change in urban mobility, as well as an unprecedented increase in e-commerce throughout the world due to the emergence of new ways of shopping and consumption habits. In this context, urban logistics plays a crucial role in the triple bottom line of sustainab...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Villa Martínez, Rafael, Monzón de Cáceres, Andrés
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2021
País:España
Institución:Universidad Camilo José Cela (UCJC)
Repositorio:Depósito Digital e-UCJC
OAI Identifier:oai:repositorio.ucjc.edu:20.500.12020/1480
Acceso en línea:https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7099/9/2/57#
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12020/1480
https://doi.org/10.3390/economies9020057
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Ciencias Económicas y Empresariales
City Logistics
Last-mile Delivery
Sustainable Development
e-commerce
Environmental Economics
Sustainable Transport
COVID-19
53 Ciencias Económicas
Descripción
Sumario:COVID-19 has brought about a substantial change in urban mobility, as well as an unprecedented increase in e-commerce throughout the world due to the emergence of new ways of shopping and consumption habits. In this context, urban logistics plays a crucial role in the triple bottom line of sustainability. The present document establishes a holistic vision of the problem aiming to (i) measure and compare the traffic generated in the Madrid Central area (low-emission zone) during the periods before and after the pandemic, and (ii) quantify e-commerce orders made by residents, as well as the Light Commercial Vehicles (LCV) required to deliver these parcels, measuring their environmental impact. The results show that road traffic in the Madrid Central area decreased by approximately 2/3 compared to normal levels and 1/2 in the case of LCVs. With regards to e-commerce, the number of parcels delivered doubled. This fact entailed an increase in the number of LVCs dedicated to package delivery in the central district and more pollution, but to a lesser extent than the growth of e-commerce. The challenge faced by urban logistics in the post-Covid era is managing to blend new mobility within large cities with the high volumes of e-commerce deliveries demanded by residents.