URBANE (Upscaling Innovative Green Urban Logistics Solutions Through Multi-Actor Collaboration and PI-inspired Last Mile Deliveries), is a Horizon Europe project that supports the transition path towards effective, resilient, safe and sustainable last-mile transport, through four Lighthouse Living La Labs and following cities.
Established/launched: 2023
Building on previous projects: SELIS, ULaaDs
Main R&I projects which have developed results/outcomes based on which you developed this implementation caseSELIS created the framework of data sharing and collaborative modes among various stakeholders. The LEAD project developed digital infrastructure, e.g. the Digital Twin Platform, to enable test and evaluate various scenarios. Use of those projects’ outcomes, the first demonstration project using PI-enabled innovative solutions for the last mile delivery was successfully granted by the Horizon Europe, the URBANE project.
URBANE stands for Upscaling Innovative Green Urban Logistics Solutions Through Multi-Actor Collaboration and PI-Inspired Last Mile Deliveries. It is a 3.5-year project (2022-2026) on novel, sustainable, safe, resilient
and effective last-mile delivery solutions, combining green automated vehicles and shared space utilisation models. The project will test high TRL level (TRL7/8) innovative solutions that can achieve efficient, replicable and sustainable last-mile delivery in four Lighthouse Living Labs (LL) in Helsinki, Bologna, Valladolid and Thessaloniki. Two Twinning LLs will be undertaken in Barcelona and Karlsruhe, demonstrating their own solutions using the Digital Twin Platform developed by the LEAD project. URBANE’s commitment to upscaling is further strengthened by the engagement of six early adopters (Follower Cities) in feasibility studies of the innovations’ adoption, thus stimulating the formulation of new LL communities across Europe. Analyse the physical, digital, social and business dimensions of complex last-mile logistics delivery systems.
The project analyses the physical, digital, social and business dimensions of complex last-mile logistics delivery systems based on the PI principles and existing practices of innovative urban logistics. It has developed a PI’s practical guide to LLs to enable LLs to transfer their logistics nodes and networks by analysing what can be digitalised, what can be automated, what can be shared or collaborative, what kind of contracts and for what.
What are the key barriers and enablers to implement project outcomes?
The term of ‘data sharing’ is often not well understood by the private sector, particularly LSPs who work in a very competitive environment. Their concern is often that ‘data sharing’ may result losing commercially confidential data. However, when using the term of ‘cooperation’ or ‘collaboration’, it is more likely to be accepted by LSPs. For example, in URBANE, the consortium members include large LSPs such as DB SHENKE which was not often involved in big collaborative R&I projects. How to demonstrate tangible benefits of ‘data sharing’ or ‘collaboration’ is a key to enable logistics companies to open doors to collaboration.
The concept of PI, PI roadmap and literature on PI are too theoretical for practitioners including city authorities in urban logistics to understand, thus reducing opportunities for real application. There is a need to describe the concept of PI in a language which can be easily understood by urban logistics practitioners including policy makers. Only by this way, PI can be further exploited by more R&I projects, thus being widely used in urban logistics.