Urban Logistics in a Digital World: Smart Cities and Innovation

Chapter 1: Smart City - a holistic approach

The aim of the chapter is to present the genesis, development and the most important assumptions of the smart city concept. This chapter will provide an introduction to further considerations and research focused on urban logistics, including in particular goods flows. This chapter describes the evolution of smart cities taking into account their three subsequent generations (1.0; 2.0; 3.0) and in terms of all areas of sustainable development (technical, economic, social and environmental). In the final part, the considerations are narrowed down to the leading aspect of urban logistics and its role in shaping the quality of life of residents. The content of the chapter will be developed on the basis of the literature on the subject and the current, exemplary achievements in shaping the logistics infrastructure in smart cities (case studies).

Chapter 2: Logistic support areas of cities in the context of material flows

The aim of the second chapter is to indicate the areas of the city’s logistic support in the area of ​​goods flows in the city’s logistics system and the logistics of returns. The authors focused on the flows of goods due to the fact that greater interest of local government units is usually attributed to mobility. The adopted perspective is justified by the current changes in the area of ​​goods flows in cities. Nowadays, they include both supply transport to commercial, service and production points, but also deliveries to individual recipients of consumer goods. Moreover, attention will be paid to the current problems of logistics returns, especially in the aspect of the dynamically developing e-commerce industry. In the area of ​​material flows, the authors treat the problem of waste management in the city as a separate problem, and due to its complexity and multifaceted nature, they will not address this issue in this study. Identification of the areas of logistic support will be made with the use of a systematic review of the literature and pilot studies.

Chapter 3: The concept of logistics maturity of cities

The purpose of the third chapter is to develop a methodology for assessing the logistics maturity of cities. The logistics maturity construct is already being taken up in the literature. In order to assess the maturity of the city, the methodology of logistics maturity assessment should be adapted to the specificity of the research subject, i.e. the city. On the other hand, there are also models for assessing the maturity of a smart city. This methodology differs from the methodology indicated for the assessment of logistics maturity. The challenge undertaken by the authors is to combine knowledge from the area of ​​maturity models, especially logistics maturity and smart city maturity. In line with the literature’s current achievements, a reference model for the city’s logistics maturity and a road map will be developed.

Chapter 4: Logistics maturity of Polish cities on the way to becoming a smart city

In line with the developed model of logistics maturity of cities, this chapter assesses the degree of maturity of Polish cities. Moreover, city positioning was carried out in terms of the advancement of smart solutions. For this purpose, a survey was conducted in 280 Polish cities. These studies allowed for the classification of these cities to the levels of logistics maturity and the degree of advancement of smart solutions. The next stage is in-depth research on a smaller research sample, the aim of which is to combine logistics solutions in the city with smart solutions in the city. Thus, at this stage, it will be possible to answer the questions: what logistic challenges are generated or reduced by smart urban solutions and to what extent do economic and social factors determine the logistics maturity

Marzena Kramarz is a researcher dealing with the issues of strategic management, based at the Silesian University of Technology, Poland. She specialises in logistic management, supply chain management and the theory of economic networks, especially logistics and distribution networks.
Katarzyna Dohn is an associate professor management science at the Silesian University of Technology, Poland. Her main scientific and research interests focus on issues related to the primary (production) and auxiliary (logistics) activities of industrial enterprises.
Edyta Przybylska is a doctor of science in the field of management science at the Silesian University of Technology, Poland. Her scientific and research interests are related to the logistics services market, transport in logistics, including multimodal transport, and cooperation of enterprises on the market.
Izabela Jonek-Kowalska is a researcher with twenty years of experience in the field of social sciences, primarily in the field of economics, finance and management. She is based at the Silesian University of Technology, Poland.