A stakeholder-based multicriteria evaluation framework for city distribution

Urban areas face particular challenges for freight transport, both in terms of logistical performance and environmental impact. Many innovative city distribution concepts have failed because not all stakeholders were taken into account in the decision-making process (Macharis & Melo, 2011). There is a clear need for a comprehensive approach to evaluate urban freight solutions in order to assess their chance of success. A new evaluation framework was worked out within the STRAIGHTSOL project (strategies and measures for smarter urban freight solutions, EC FP7) and incorporates the city distribution actors and their objectives as the primary focus. The multi-actor multi-criteria analysis (MAMCA) methodology developed by Macharis, 2005 and Macharis, 2007 ties with this aim and is complemented with other methods such as the cost–benefit analysis and business modeling. The so-called city distribution — multi-actor multi-criteria analysis (CD-MAMCA) methodology is fully explained through a case study with Kuehne and Nagel which tested real-time remote monitoring of the cargo leading to improve rail tracking and warehouse management in Thessaloniki.