Book Reviews

Gonzalez-Feliu, Jesus. 2018. Sustainable Urban Logistics: Planning and Evaluation. John Wiley & Sons. 304 pp. $145.00.

Sustainable Urban Logistics: Planning and Evaluation was written by an author with substantial experience in urban logistics concepts. The primary objective of the book is to arrive at a consensus on the proposed definitions and methods related to urban logistics and to thus enlighten the academic and business communities about the topic. This book assists the reader in understanding that urban logistics is one of the most important and critical parts of the logistics field. It emphasizes that the challenges of quantification, qualification, and planning, and the evaluation of urban logistics through a unified methodology and of communicating unification are crucial. Sustainable urban logistics can provide a competitive advantage for organizations and countries. According to the author, sustainable operations are large in scale. They may be global, local, or specific. To create sustainable and successful urban logistics processes, an organization, country, or continent should identify the pros and cons and then develop a strategy based on the advantages and disadvantages determined through the transportation processes.

Because of the author’s background and experiences, he uses France as the basis for his discussions of urban logistics, but he also examines and extensively describes other European countries. The world is so large, however, that understanding only one country (France) or one continent (Europe) is not sufficient to allow the creation of a consensus for such an important subject. The addition of information about urban logistics in other countries around the world would improve this book. Although sections about processes in the Americas and Asia are included, they are examined superficially.

The book is concise (304 pages) and aptly covers both operational and strategic aspects related to sustainability in urban logistics. In addition, it informs about the history of urban logistics and recent developments in the field. The literature includes many books related to this topic, including a book that this author coedited (Gonzalez-Feliu et al. 2013). A large number of edited volumes on sustainability-related topics by different publishers are available in the literature. For example, Akkucuk (2017) focuses on organizational procedures and methods that ensure environmental sustainability, while maintaining effective production processes, and Akkucuk (2015) includes a broad range of research on the topic of sustainability. However, a crucial advantage of the book being reviewed is that it discusses recent developments related to the sustainability of urban logistics.

Sustainable Urban Logistics: Planning and Evaluation comprises eight chapters and a conclusion section. Below, I briefly discuss each chapter so that the reader is aware of the concepts presented. Chapter 1 introduces the book by presenting various studies about the history of urban logistics, which is accepted as being as old as the history of trade. The author notes that this book discusses one of the most critical subjects of business from the standpoint of an experienced director, and he presents a brief summary of the status of the topic after 20 years when academia started to study urban logistics.

According to the author, there is a unification problem in terms of defining urban logistics. Therefore, in Chapter 2 he proposes a unified definition about sustainable urban logistics operations. Following an explanation of the components of sustainability, this chapter includes a discussion of the many aspects of sustainable urban logistics and ends with a unified definition of it. Chapter 3 shows the complexity in the evaluation, assessment, and analysis of decision-making tools in terms of sustainability and success in urban logistics operations. By including some examples and before-and-after analyses, this chapter proposes a methodological framework for the assessment and evaluation of the impacts of sustainable urban logistics.

Chapter 4 provides a starting point for applications and data analysis propositions. Demand generation, demand-distribution models, and the construction of routes and distances are explained in the chapter. Chapter 5 informs about urban management and end-customer habits by analyzing household purchasing activities and delivery routes to households. Chapter 6 examines the aims, goals, and principles of modeling change by using various examples of assessments and analyses and generalizes the examples of overall change modeling. It also includes real-life examples to suggest to readers some opportunities they might consider and utilize.

Chapter 7 argues for the indicators and dashboards related to the evaluation of sustainable urban logistics. It starts with a discussion of the requirements for evaluation and continues by suggesting methodological proposals including inputs and limitations. Chapter 8 explores the benefits of sustainable urban logistics procedures. After a brief introduction, the chapter explores economic evaluation, methods to estimate environmental impacts, and spatial indicators including centrality, inequality, attractiveness, and accessibility. This chapter ends with some practical considerations of indicator estimation methods.

Finally, in the conclusion, the author presents information related to successful and sustainable urban logistics processes and explains the necessity for strategies. This book is a good reference for sustainable urban logistics; however, it has a disadvantage in that the analyses presented are based principally in France and surrounding countries in Europe. It is a good choice for a reader who seeks to understand the history of urban logistics, related trends, and recent developments in France and Europe.