In the Media

Anne Goodchild says your item might be on its way to you before you even click to order.

Retailers are using machine learning technology to predict what shoppers may buy and then placing those items in stores and warehouses closer to them, said Anne Goodchild, the director of the Supply Chain Transportation and Logistics Center at the University of Washington.

"It's contributing significantly to our carbon footprint as a region and as a country. And those are problems," said Anne Goodchild, director of the University of Washington’s Supply Chain Transportation and Logistics Center.

In the U.S., the prevailing approach to freight policy is to rely on market-based solutions to achieve consumer convenience and profitability, explains University of Washington freight expert Anne Goodchild.

Delivery drones help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but it's complicated. Anne Goodchild says: "We shouldn’t just compare drones versus trucks."

Seattle is partnering with logistics companies in the Urban Freight Lab to address the impact of frequent deliveries on everyday life.

“There’s definitely the potential for delivery services to be an environmental asset,” said Anne Goodchild, director of the University of Washington’s Supply Chain Transportation and Logistics Center. Just as mass transit moves lots of people efficiently, there are better ways to move goods.

The final mile is so 2018.

This week, we’re joined by Dr. Anne Goodchild of the University of Washington’s Urban Freight Lab. We chat with Goodchild about what’s missing from the urban transportation discussion, the ideas they are testing for better deliveries, and the future of streets.

Ordering online can be the most environmentally friendly way to get goods to your house. Anne Goodchild says it’s even better than shopping at brick and mortar stores, but only if you choose a longer delivery window. 

Why is Bezos claiming that one-day delivery will reduce carbon emissions? Anne Goodchild has some ideas.  As director of the University of Washington’s Supply Chain Transportation and Logistics Center, she’s been studying urban goods delivery systems for years.

It is argued by some that ride sharing pickups slow traffic on busy streets. Maybe so, but the solution is to expand the city’s pilot project on Boren Avenue for pick up and drop off curb space to Fourth Avenue and other downtown locations based on recommendations from ride share drivers and University of Washington Urban Freight Lab research.

“As we move towards faster delivery, it gets harder to consolidate,” Anne Goodchild said. “When we’re not paying some sort of personal cost for the trip, I think it’s easy to overlook how much travel we’re adding.”

Packed with automotive and logistics giants, the living lab out of Seattle aspires to test solutions to "the transportation challenge of our time."

According to Anne Goodchild, director of UW’s Supply Chain Transportation and Logistics Center in Seattle, research shows about 80–90% of delivery drivers’ time in urban areas is spent on foot, searching for the right apartment or office, riding up and down elevators and haggling at reception desks where employees don’t want to be responsible for the flood of boxes.