Research Projects

Summary:
This project will build upon a previous Urban Freight Lab study (funded by the U.S. Department of Energy) that was aimed at improving commercial vehicle delivery efficiency generating and providing real-time and future parking information to delivery drivers. In this subsequent study, researchers will build upon the knowledge developed and the existing network of parking occupancy sensors installed in a 10-block study area in the Belltown neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, to explore how historical parking occupancy data can be used by urban planners and policymakers to better allocate curb space to commercial vehicles. We will use data from the sensor network and explore the relationship between the built environment (location and characteristics of establishments and urban form) and the resulting occupancy patterns of commercial vehicle load zones and passenger load zones in the study area.

Summary:
In Phase 2 of the West Seattle Bridge Case Study, the research team will shift the focus from business establishments to consumers. In particular, we will explore consumer behavior, defined as how people choose to buy goods and services and where they buy them, to better understand residential demand and accessibility of goods for WS residents.  

Summary:
The Urban Freight in 2030 project will explore emerging urban freight trends, their impacts on local and global sustainable development, and propose Urban Freight Lab’s future course of action. We'll use the expertise of the Urban Freight Lab members and partners, supported by up-to-date research and subject specialists, to create a shared vision of the future of urban delivery in 2030, and produce vision documents to be shared publicly, outlining and detailing the Urban Freight Lab’s vision of the future of urban freight. 

Summary:
One of the disruptions brought by the COVID-19 pandemic was the reduction of in-store shopping, and the consequent increase in online shopping and home deliveries. In response, Cascade Bicycle Club started the Pedaling Relief Project (PRP) in 2020 — a nonprofit home delivery service run by volunteers using bikes to pick up food at food banks and deliver to food bank customers, among other services. The Supply Chain Transportation & Logistics Center (SCTL) and graduate Transportation Logistics students are undertaking a research study to analyze the transport and logistics system of the PRP and provide recommendations for operations improvement.

Summary:
For this project, two research groups at the University of Washington (the Urban Freight Lab and Lilian Ratliff's research group) will collaborate to integrate different data streams currently being collected separately and in an uncoordinated way, including data from in-ground curb sensors at CVLZs and PLZs, paid parking transactions at paid parking spaces, and data obtained from timelapse camera recordings. The groups will create a holistic framework to analyze not only the curb behaviors of different users but also how different users interact in the competition for limited curb space. The collaboration will advance the state of environmental science by providing the most complete dataset and creating innovative tools to inform policymaking on curb parking pricing and curb allocation to reduce cruising for parking and unauthorized parking events, therefore tackling the climate crisis by reducing urban vehicle emissions and traffic congestion, and the state of data science by developing a new statistical framework and machine learning algorithms to analyze curb space use behaviors from users and develop recommendations for cities on how to better allocate curb space to different competing demands.

Summary:
With the rise in demand for home deliveries and the boom of the e-bike market in the U.S., cargo cycles are becoming the alternative mode of transporting goods in urban areas. However, many U.S. cities are struggling to decide how to safely integrate this new mode of transportation into the pre-existing urban environment. In response, the Urban Freight Lab is authoring a white paper on how cities can prepare for and promote large-scale adoption of cargo cycle transportation. Sponsors include freight logistics providers, bicycle industry leaders, and agencies Bosch eBike Systems, Fleet Cycles, Gazelle USA, Michelin North America, Inc., Net Zero Logistics, the Seattle Department of Transportation, and Urban Arrow.

Summary:
Food security, defined as access at all times to nutritious food, is a necessary condition for human beings to thrive and have an active and healthy life. In Seattle, about 13 percent of adults experienced food insecurity. Moreover, food security is not equitably distributed across the population. Food insecurity is more common in households with young children, with single parents, with incomes below 185 percent of the poverty threshold, in Black and Hispanic populations, and in principal metropolitan areas.

Summary:
The Urban Freight Lab (UFL) at the University of Washington is partnering with ECONorthwest and Cityfi to develop a research product for the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) on the topic of revenue strategies for new mobility options. The team will analyze the public sector’s potential role in using revenue-related strategies to encourage or discourage new mobility options in personal mobility and goods delivery. The objective of this research is to develop a toolkit for transportation agencies that addresses how revenue-related strategies (e.g., taxes, fees, and subsidies) support policy objectives and shape the deployment of new mobility options. The toolkit can assist agencies to develop, evaluate, implement, and administer revenue-related strategies for new mobility options that transport people and goods.

Summary:
The Urban Freight Lab (UFL) was approached by the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) to complete a review of proposed evaluation criteria and propose a data collection plan in preparation for the implementation of a Freight and Bus Lane (FAB) Lane in Fall 2024 for King County Metro's Bus Route 40.

Summary:
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) awarded a new $2 million grant via its SMART (Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation) grant program to fund a collaboration between the Urban Freight Lab, Seattle Department of Transportation, and Open Mobility Foundation to fund curb space digitalization. This project will establish new commercial vehicle permit policies and pilot a digital permit. The aim is to reduce congestion, improve access to the curb, and promote more sustainable forms of urban delivery.

Summary:
This collaborative effort will analyze the consequences of misloaded packages incidents in order to optimize delivery efficiency, minimize environmental impacts, and contribute to more efficient and environmentally sustainable urban freight practices.

Summary:
C40 Cities, a consortium of cities worldwide with the collective goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, introduced an initiative in 2017 to create “Zero Emission Areas.” These areas, or zones, would be closed off to fossil fuel-burning vehicles and serve as a testbed for scaling up zero-emission regulation. Seattle, along with U.S. counterparts Austin, Texas and Los Angeles, CA, is a signatory to the Zero Emission Area Programme and as such, is obligated to create such an area by 2030....

Summary:
The project addresses the critical but often overlooked aspects of delivery drivers’ walking and parking behaviors in urban logistics. With 80% of a delivery driver’s time spent outside the vehicle during the last leg of delivery, comprehending these dynamics becomes pivotal for sustainable urban delivery routes. For the first time, the University of Washington’s Urban Freight Lab and the KTH Royal Institute of Technology (Sweden) will work together to address this challenge, with the support of two established logistics companies...

Summary:
This project will test an innovative set of incentives and regulations to better understand what technology and strategies municipalities can use to support and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the freight sector.

Summary:
The Open Mobility Foundation’s SMART Curb Collaborative is a group of cities united in tackling challenges in curb management, reducing congestion, enhancing livability, and improving safety and equity on city streets. Each of these public agencies is a recipient of USDOT’s Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) grant program, which provides funding to build data and technology capacity across the US. In close coordination with the Open Mobility Foundation (OMF) Collaborative Program Manager, the UFL will support the nine cities...