Four Main Challenges faced by MobiliseYourCity Members regarding Logistics and Freight  

Written by Alexandra Heitplatz

Logistics and freight are gaining increasing importance in the Global South. Presently, numerous investments are being made to enhance the extent and efficiency of logistics infrastructures and operations in these regions, as they are regarded as crucial engines for development and economic performance. Noteworthy initiatives, such as the EU’s Global Gateway strategy and the Strategic Africa Corridors, exemplify international development cooperation specifically targeting this sector. The pertinent question arises: how can cities along these transport corridors prepare for the anticipated increase in goods flow and prevent becoming bottlenecks in multinational logistics systems? 

Logistics and freight also play a vital role in meeting climate targets: according to the International Energy Agency, freight makes up around 8% of global GHG emissions.¹ Ensuring efficient, sustainable, and equitable urban logistics systems emerges as a crucial task for municipal and national governments all over the world. 

Conversely, a substantial knowledge and research gap exists regarding urban logistics and freight in Global South cities. There is limited understanding of these cities' common challenges and a lack of comprehensive insight into the actions currently being implemented or planned. 

Considering the significance of urban logistics and freight for sustainable urban transport, MobiliseYourCity aims to increasingly address this pressing issue. The initial step involved screening and analysing MobiliseYourCity Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs) to better understand the challenges, visions, and measures they encompass. This article serves as the first instalment in our logistics and freight series, focusing on the common challenges faced by Global South cities while examining the characteristics of their logistics systems and the emergent issues. 

MobiliseYourCity SUMPs – What do they say? 

While each city possesses unique local characteristics, making broad generalisations across the three continents covered by the MobiliseYourCity SUMPs challenging, several common traits can be identified in the logistics systems outlined in the plans. 

Lack of Infrastructure and Regulation 

The most significant challenge is the lack of infrastructure and regulation. Many cities do not have adequate regulations, such as governing loading and unloading times and locations, restrictions on heavy vehicles, or the establishment of environmental or zero-emission zones. In some instances, there is also an absence of administrative bodies dedicated to logistics and freight. 

This deficiency correlates with inadequate infrastructure for urban logistics operations, such as (un)loading zones, strategically situated logistics hubs, and streets suitable for heavy vehicles. Consequently, several issues arise: 

• Insecurity: The lack of infrastructure contributes to security issues, such as theft of fuel and goods. 
• Public Space Occupation and Illegal Roadside Parking: These factors lead to congestion, safety concerns, and adverse impacts on surrounding neighbourhoods. 
• Coordination Problems: Inefficiencies result in longer delivery wait times. 
• Congestion: This is the most critical issue. It often arises in the vicinity of central markets and commercial areas, where dense urban development increases the potential for conflicts between urban activities and logistics operations. As a result, reforming logistics is complicated due to the involvement of multiple stakeholders. An example can be observed in Ahmedabad (India), where logistical congestion is evident around markets in the old city centre. Here, new infrastructure projects are complicated due to heritage preservation concerns. Moreover, congestion adversely affects residents, shopkeepers, and logistics operators, often clashing with passenger transport needs. The resultant environmental and health concerns, particularly in cities with a high share of old and highly polluting heavy vehicles, further complicate matters. 

Informality of Logistics Operations 

Another prevalent challenge is the informality surrounding logistics operations. which varies significantly from city to city. For instance, in cities such as Dakar (Senegal) and Dire Dawa (Ethiopia), it remains common for goods to be transported using non-motorised traditional vehicles, including horse-drawn and human-drawn carts, particularly in peripheral areas. At the same time, cities like Douala frequently rely on taxis and moto-taxis for goods transportation, whereas in other cities, more formalised logistics systems are more prevalent. 

Informality presents challenges such as road safety risks associated with carts impeding motorised vehicles and the insecure transport of goods via moto-taxis. Moreover, it makes it more difficult for city authorities to oversee logistics operations as data gaps can impede effective urban planning. What is more, it may result in increased illegal transportation practices. However, it is important to note the advantages of traditional forms of transportation, which are generally more sustainable than modern logistics systems that depend on large, motorised vehicles. Due to their flexibility and small-scale operations, traditional modes are often better suited to last-mile logistics concepts. Rather than dismissing them as 'less sophisticated,' efforts should focus on leveraging their potential, enhancing their efficiency, and integrating them into a regulated urban logistics framework. 

Poor Integration of Logistics in Urban Planning 

A further challenge identified is the poor integration of logistics in urban planning. In the MobiliseYourCity SUMPs, while logistics is frequently mentioned, it does not receive the same level of emphasis as other crucial topics such as paratransit and road safety. There is often a notable lack of connection between land use planning and logistics management.  

In many of the cities, wholesale centres have been situated within the urban core, or, if located outside, the rapid urban expansion has resulted in residential areas increasingly merging with industrial and trade parks. This proximity leads to land use conflicts, ultimately reducing logistics trip efficiency. 

The Case of Port and Transport Corridor Cities 

Specific challenges also arise for port and transport corridor cities. These urban areas require extensive logistics systems to serve as vital connection points for goods between regions. The relatively high volume of logistical traffic within such cities exposes them to greater negative externalities associated with logistics, such as increased congestion and pollution. Moreover, they often experience higher transit traffic unrelated to the city's commercial activities. 

For example, in Douala (Cameroon), the port acts as a freight traffic hub for neighbouring landlocked countries. Consequently, vehicles frequently remain parked at the port for extended periods due to administrative and customs processes while awaiting the return of their freight to their country of origin. Similarly, the port in Antofagasta (Chile) is deeply embedded within a dense urban environment, leading to disturbances in other transport modes, particularly for pedestrians, which raises significant road safety issues. 

The Path Forward 

The challenges related to urban logistics in Global South cities are multifaceted, yet common themes emerge across various contexts. Nearly all SUMPs highlight a lack of infrastructure and regulatory frameworks, emphasising congestion and illegal roadside parking as major logistics-related concerns. Moreover, the findings from the screening of MobiliseYourCity SUMPs resonate with existing research on urban logistics in the Global South², highlighting the pertinence of these challenges. 

Our analysis underscores the relevance of this topic and points to the necessity of deeper exploration into the local specificities of urban logistics within Global South cities. In turn, understanding these nuances is essential for developing effective solutions that foster a just and sustainable transport transition. 

Want to learn more? Stay tuned for our upcoming article, where we will delve into the visions and measures proposed by MobiliseYourCity SUMPs to address these challenges. 

¹ International Energy Agency. CO2 Emissions from Fuel Combustion. (2018). 
² See e.g. the paper “Global South countries: The Dark Side of City Logistics Dualisation vs Bipolarisation” by Marei & Savy (2020), and the “Urban Logistics in the Global South” by Marei (2023).