Analytical Modeling Framework to Assess the Economic and Environmental Impacts of Residential Deliveries, and Evaluate Sustainable Last-Mile Strategies

In the last decade, e‐commerce has grown substantially, increasing business‐to‐business, business‐to‐consumer, and consumer‐to‐consumer transactions. While this has brought prosperity for the e-retailers, the ever-increasing consumer demand has brought more trucks to the residential areas, bringing along externalities such as congestion, air and noise pollution, and energy consumption. To cope with this, different logistics strategies such as the introduction of micro-hubs, alternative delivery points, and use of cargo bikes and zero emission vehicles for the last mile have been introduced and, in some cases, implemented as well. This project, hence, aims to develop an analytical framework to model urban last mile delivery. In particular, this study will build upon the previously developed econometric behavior models that capture e-commerce demand. Then, based on continuous approximation techniques, the authors will model the last-mile delivery operations. And finally, using the cost-based sustainability assessment model (developed in this study), the authors will estimate the economic and environmental impacts of residential deliveries under different city logistics strategies.View the NCST Project Webpag

E-commerce, Warehousing and Distribution Facilities in California: A Dynamic Landscape and the Impacts on Disadvantaged Communities

This work addresses the distribution of warehouses and distribution centers (W&DCs) influenced by e-commerce, through spatial analysis and econometric modelling. Specifically, this work analyzes the concentration of W&DCs in various metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) in California between 1989 and 2016-18; and studies the spatial relationships between W&DC distribution and other demographic and environmental factors through econometric modeling techniques. The work conducts analyses to uncover common trends in W&DC distribution. The analyses used aggregate establishment, employment, and other socio-economic information, complemented with transportation related variables. The results: 1) confirm that the weighted geometric centers of W&DCs have shifted slightly towards city central areas in all five MPOs; 2) W&DCs show a non-decreasing trend between 2008 and 2016; and 3) areas with more serious environmental problems are more likely to have W&DCs. A disaggregate analyses of properties sold and leased in one of the study regions shows a trend where businesses are buying or leasing smaller facilities, closer to the core of consumer demand. Among other factors, the growth of e-commerce sales, and expedited delivery services, which require proximity to the customers, may explain these trends. The study results provide insights for planners and policy decision makers, and will be of interest to practitioners, public and private entities, and academia. Caltrans, MPOs, and affiliated institutions of the National Center for Sustainable Transportation will directly benefit from the results as they want to avoid equity issues brought by the fast development of e-commerce, and its potential impact on W&DC distribution

Methodology cost control budget in buildings vertical

El presente artículo muestra los parámetros que se deben tener en cuenta para realizar el presupuesto, cronograma, monitoreo y control de costos de un proyecto ya que en la actualidad muchas empresas del sector de la construcción no realizan el presupuesto de una forma confiable, lo que dificulta realizar el respectivo seguimiento y control o lo que ocasiona que en algunas oportunidades no se haga; es por esto que se plantea el paso a paso como se debe realizar el presupuesto es decir la línea base del costo autorizado y el cronograma a partir de la cual se propone desarrollar la metodología de control de costos de construcciones verticales para la empresa Arquitectos Loft, con el fin de evitar sobre costos en el proyecto que la empresa conozca el valor ganado y la línea real del costo.This article shows the parameters must take into account to make the budget, timeline, and cost control of a project, in the actuality many construction companies it does not to make the budget, in a reliable and safe way. This makes it difficult the monitoring and control of plan. For this step by step design and should make the budget, That means the authorized cost baseline and the schedule from which it is proposed to develop the methodology of cost control for the enterprise vertical constructions Architects Loft, for the purpose of avoid overruns in the project, In addition the company can meet the earned value and actual cost lin

Methodology cost control budget in buildings vertical

El presente artículo muestra los parámetros que se deben tener en cuenta para realizar el presupuesto, cronograma, monitoreo y control de costos de un proyecto ya que en la actualidad muchas empresas del sector de la construcción no realizan el presupuesto de una forma confiable, lo que dificulta realizar el respectivo seguimiento y control o lo que ocasiona que en algunas oportunidades no se haga; es por esto que se plantea el paso a paso como se debe realizar el presupuesto es decir la línea base del costo autorizado y el cronograma a partir de la cual se propone desarrollar la metodología de control de costos de construcciones verticales para la empresa Arquitectos Loft, con el fin de evitar sobre costos en el proyecto que la empresa conozca el valor ganado y la línea real del costo.This article shows the parameters must take into account to make the budget, timeline, and cost control of a project, in the actuality many construction companies it does not to make the budget, in a reliable and safe way. This makes it difficult the monitoring and control of plan. For this step by step design and should make the budget, That means the authorized cost baseline and the schedule from which it is proposed to develop the methodology of cost control for the enterprise vertical constructions Architects Loft, for the purpose of avoid overruns in the project, In addition the company can meet the earned value and actual cost lin

Mejoramiento del nivel de servicio del Almacén General de Cervecería Unión S.A.

El sistema de almacenaje tiene como objetivo garantizar el suministro continuo y oportuno de los materiales requeridos para asegurar los servicios sin interrupción -- Al almacenar insumos es de suma importancia medir el nivel de servicio, ya que es un aspecto primordial para evaluar cómo el sistema del almacén brinda los servicios a sus clientes -- Inicialmente se parte de una encuesta para conocer la percepción de los clientes internos en cuanto al servicio prestado por el almacén; de acuerdo a los resultados arrojados se realizó el respectivo análisis para conocer los inconformismos presentados por los clientes y empezar a resolverlos -- Se vio la necesidad de implementar un indicador de Nivel de Servicio para conocer el estado de este y según los resultados se identificaron debilidades existentes y se empezaron a realizar las respectivas mejoras -- Para Cervecería Unión S. A. el almacén juega un papel importante en su cadena de suministro, ya que este es el encargado de la recepción de los materiales a los proveedores, cuidado respectivo y distribución de estos a cada uno de sus clientes internos: elaboración, envasado y el centro de empaque; por lo que requiere la medición del nivel de servicio en el almacé

Automated Vehicles are Expected to Increase Driving and Emissions Without Policy Intervention

Researchers at UC Davis explored what an automated vehicle future in the San Francisco Bay Area might look like by simulating:1) A 100% personal automated vehicle future and its effects on travel and greenhouse emissions.2) The introduction of an automated taxi service with plausible per-mile fares and its effects on conventional personal vehicle and transit travel.The researchers used the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s activity-based travel demand model (MTC-ABM) and MATSim, an agent-based transportation model, to carry out the simulations. This policy brief summarizes the results, which provide insight into the relative benefits of each service and automated vehicle technology and the potential market for these services.View the NCST Project Webpag

A Traditional Diet Is Associated with a Reduced Risk of Eczema and Wheeze in Colombian Children

Background: Diet might influence the risk of allergic diseases. Evidence from developing countries with high prevalence of childhood asthma is scant. Methods: Information on wheeze, rhinitis, and eczema was collected from 3209 children aged 6–7 years in 2005, who were taking part in the International Study on Asthma and Allergy in Children (ISAAC) in Colombia. Intake frequency of twelve food groups was assessed. Associations between each food group and current wheeze, rhino-conjunctivitis, and eczema were investigated with multiple logistic regressions, adjusting for potential confounders. Simes’ procedure was used to test for multiple comparisons. Results: 14.9% of children reported wheeze in the last 12 months, 16% rhino-conjunctivitis, and 22% eczema. Eczema was negatively associated with consumption of fresh fruits and pulses three or more times per week (adjusted Odds ratio (aOR): 0.64; 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.49 to 0.83; p value = 0.004; and aOR: 0.62, 95% CI: 0.47 to 0.80; p value < 0.001, respectively). Current wheeze was negatively associated with intake of potatoes (aOR: 0.44, 95% CI: 0.31 to 0.62, p value = 0.005), whilst this outcome was positively associated with consumption of fast food (aOR: 1.76, 95% CI: 1.32 to 2.35, p value = 0.001). These associations remained statistically significant after controlling for multiple comparisons. Conclusions: A traditional diet might have a protective effect against eczema and wheeze in Colombian children, whilst intake of fast foods increases this risk

Last-Mile Delivery Innovations and Best Practices in the Age of E-commerce

E-commerce has become a fundamental part of the shopping experience. It has transformed how consumers shop and, in many cases, it has improved accessibility to goods and services. Another benefit is the substitution of personal shopping trips with consolidated deliveries, which can significantly reduce transportation-related negative externalities from urban goods movements.&nbsp;However, the recent trend towards consumer-focused services in last-mile distribution has adversely impacted the economic viability of urban goods movement. Frequent less-than-truckload last-mile deliveries can lead to increased freight distribution costs and associated environmental externalities. Opportunities and challenges associated with alternate last-mile distribution strategies were studied by researchers at the University of California, Davis. The study examined ways that companies might adapt to increasingly consumer-focused trends in e-commerce towards rush delivery within strict time windows (expedited logistics). The team developed an explicit dynamic and stochastic location-routing model to assess the performance of several distribution initiatives. This policy brief summarizes the findings from that research and provides policy implications.&nbsp;View the NCST Project Webpag