Office of Operations
21st Century Operations Using 21st Century Technologies

United States - European Commission Urban Freight Twinning Initiative: Compendium of Project Summaries, Volume II
Overview of 2018-2019 International Urban Freight Roundtables

International Urban Freight Conference (I-NUF)

METRANS launched the biennial International Urban Freight Conference (I-NUF) in 2006 to provide a multidisciplinary forum for the emerging field of urban freight and to raise the visibility of urban freight research. I-NUF is recognized as the premier venue for urban freight research. It draws participants representing academia, the private sector, and government from around the world. The most recent conference, held in October of 2017, was attended by approximately 250 participants from 18 countries. The conference featured over 100 papers and presentations in the following thematic areas: first and last mile delivery, freight modes, sustainability, best practices, and others (see Topics Addressed below). In 2017, the Volvo Research and Education Foundation (VREF) supported travel scholarships for nine young researchers from developing countries to attend I-NUF to introduce them to cutting edge research and become part of the international urban freight network. I-NUF has become a focal point for urban freight researchers; meetings of Transportation Research Board freight committees and the American Society of Civil Engineers freight committee took place during the conference.

a well-attended I-NUF session
Attendees at an I-NUF session.
Source: University of Southern California.

Project Type

Research.

Period of Performance

Every two years; most recently in October 2017.

Project Site

Long Beach, California, USA.

Contact

Genevieve Giuliano
Professor
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA, USA
Giuliano@usc.edu
(213) 740-3956

Topics Addressed

  • Air quality/environment.
  • Curbside delivery and parking.
  • Economic competitiveness.
  • Energy consumption.
  • Land use interaction.
  • Last mile delivery.
  • Livability/quality of life.
  • Logistics/distribution.
  • Mobility/congestion.
  • Modeling.
  • Off-hours delivery.
  • Safety.
  • Supply chains.

Key Outcomes

The conference disseminates urban freight research from around the world to a global audience. Typically, the best papers are published in a special journal issue; many papers are published individually in refereed journals. Best practice sessions share innovative practices, again from around the world.

Stakeholder Involvement

The conference is organized as a joint venture of researchers, public agency professionals, and industry. All sectors are represented on the conference committee and attendees represent all sectors.

Office of Operations