Overview
Advancing the transition path towards safe, efficient and sustainable last mile transport, the last leg of a journey for the movement of goods, is a priority for the EU-funded URBANE project. It will combine green automated vehicles with shared space usage models to uncover last mile delivery solutions. URBANE will focus on four Lighthouse Living Labs in Bologna, Helsinki, Thessaloniki and Valladolid. The project will leverage digital twinning tools, a data-driven impact assessment radar, and Blockchain technology-led smart contracts to get results, which will enable it to verify the ‘physical internet’ (i.e. transport network) for urban deliveries.
URBANE brings together a multidisciplinary group of 41 partners from 12 different EU Member States, including 12 cities, industry leaders in logistics services, novel solution providers for shared, connected and automated operations and research experts to co-develop novel last mile delivery solutions combining green automated vehicles and shared space utilisation models. The project will support the transition path towards effective, resilient, safe and sustainable last mile transport, through four Lighthouse Living Labs (Helsinki, Bologna, Valladolid and Thessaloniki, that will demonstrate TRL7/8 efficient, replicable and socially acceptable innovative last mile delivery solutions (Wave 1 LLs), building on existing TRL>5 assets. Hands-on lesson learning at European level will be primarily facilitated by an Innovation Transferability Platform comprising Digital Twinning Tools, open models, smart contracts governed by blockchain technology and a data-driven Impact Assessment Radar that will enable the adaptation and replication of Wave 1 solutions in two Twinning LLs in Barcelona and Karlsruhe (Wave 2 LLs), demonstrating their own solutions within the course of the project. URBANE’s commitment to upscaling is further strengthened by the engagement of six early adopters (Follower Cities) in innovations’ adoption feasibility studies, thus stimulating the formulation of new LL communities across Europe. The approach employs social simulation tools to experiment with possible strategies. URBANE will provide evidence of the real introduction of the Physical Internet in urban deliveries for the first time.