Organisational and Political Approach of Modern City Logistics

Nowadays, the subject of city (or urban) logistics occupies an important place in research in the field of management, both in strategic management and in supply chain management. This is due to a continuous increase of deliveries of products in the urban space, which results from the metropolisation of modern economies. The consequence of this is the saturation of the infrastructures and the environmental damage that considerably harm the residents' quality of life. Several local authorities have taken over the issue of city logistics management and do not intend to let companies freely organise the delivery of their products in town, in a chaotic and uncoordinated manner. In addition to the exercise of a regulatory and fiscal power aiming at changing behaviours, local authorities wish to force city logistics stakeholders to find more efficient solutions as part of a pooled organisation of flows. The objective of the paper is to identify the different stakeholders of city logistics, then to indicate the nature of the intervention of local authorities, notably regarding the creation of freight stations, to better coordinate supply chain operations. The main conclusion is that only an approach combining public and private action will genuinely guarantee the implementation of sustainable city logistics.