COVID-19 has revealed just how much vital urban systems, like hospitals and grocery stores, depend on the reliable delivery of goods every day. Online shopping and home deliveries have also become a lifeline for many households during lockdowns. Now is the time for cities to look toward sustainable, collaborative and innovative freight solutions. 

WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities has pioneered an ambitious "Triple Zero" vision for urban transportation that strives for zero emissions, zero road deaths and zero exclusion from the health, education, food and economic services that make cities livable and equitable for everyone. Urban freight is an essential, often overlooked piece to achieving this vision.  

As this sector evolves amidst unprecedented disruptions from COVID-19, join us for a webinar series on the future of urban freight.

Please join our 4-part webinar series:

  • Introduction to Designing a Policy Roadmap for Urban Freight
  • Zero-Emission Freight
  • Vision Zero Planning for Freight
  • Urban Access and Managing Streets for People and Freight

Day 1: Introduction to Designing a Policy Roadmap for Urban Freight

This session introduces why cities should care about freight, how to effectively design and implement freight policies, and how businesses and cities can build effective partnerships in the sector.

July 9 | 10:30 AM-12:00 PM EDT

  • Welcome address: Sergio Avelleda, Director, Urban Mobility, WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities
  • Moderator: Ben Welle, Director, Integrated Transport and Innovation, WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities
  • Laetitia Dablanc, Professor and Director of Research, Université Gustave Eiffel
  • José Holguín-Veras, William H. Hart Professor and Director, Volvo Research and Educational Foundations (VREF) Center of Excellence on Sustainable Urban Freight Systems, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
  • Jayant Kairam, Director, Global Public Policy, Walmart
  • Sita Holtslag, Chair of the Community of Interest on Urban Freight, Transport Decarbonisation Alliance

Day 2: Zero-Emission Freight

This open panel discusses how companies are moving toward zero-emission urban freight fleets and what cities can do to help activate and support the electric vehicle transition. 

July 14 | 9:00-10:30 AM EDT

  • Moderator: Daizong Liu, Director, WRI China Ross Center for Sustainable Cities
  • Giacomo Lozzi, Senior Project Manager, Urban Freight, Polis Network
  • Sophie Punte, Executive Director, Smart Freight Centre
  • Tsu-Jui Cheng, Head of Sustainable Urban Mobility / EcoMobility, ICLEI
  • Liu Ying, Director of Energy-saving and Emission Reduction Center, Beijing Transport Institute
  • Boris Kort-Packard, Chief Engineer, Global Vehicles, FedEx

Day 3: Vision Zero Planning for Freight

This open panel discusses how cities are integrating urban freight into Vision Zero road safety targets, creating safer streets for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers.

July 16 | 10:00-11:30 AM EDT

  • Moderator: Claudia Adriazola-Steil, Deputy Director, Urban Mobility; Director, Health & Road Safety, WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities
  • Ellen Townsend, Policy Director, European Transport Safety Council
  • Pedro Homem de Gouveia, Senior Policy and Project Manager, Governance & Integration + Safety & Security, Polis Network
  • Ian Wainwright, Future City Logistics
  • Alison Conway, Associate Professor, Civil Engineering, The City College of New York

Day 4: Urban Access and Managing Streets for People and Freight

This open panel discusses how effective, data-driven street and curbside management can improve last-mile logistics and create streets that are accessible to everyone.

July 21 | 10:00-11:30 AM EDT

  • Moderator: Rogier van den Berg, Director, Urban Development, WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities
  • Stacey Hodge, President, SBI Strategy
  • Anne Goodchild, Professor and Director, Urban Freight Lab, University of Washington
  • Laura MacNeil, Freight and Urban Delivery Planner, DC Department of Transportation
  • Gigi Wolfe, Project Engineer, Global Operations Engineering and Analysis, FedEx

For additional information, please contact Travis Fried at Travis.Fried@wri.org.