Urban Development: Frugality and Last-Mile Logistics
The 3rd RSGM on Practical Concepts of Urban Development: Frugality and Last-Mile Logistics took place on 21st August, 2024 in Marshal’s Office of the Mazovia Voivodeship in Warsaw.
The meeting was focused on innovative approaches to urban development, with a particular emphasis on frugality and last mile logistics. The event brought together city officials, experts in urban planning, logistics and industry experts to explore practical solutions for the sustainable growth of cities in the context of frugality and the growing importance of last mile logistics.
The event kicked off with a welcome addressed by Marcin Podgórski, Director of the Department of Waste Management, Emissions, and Integrated Permits at the Marshal's Office. Podgórski emphasized the critical need for cities to adapt to the twin challenges of climate change and increasing urbanization. He highlighted the importance of innovative, cost-effective solutions that can drive sustainable growth without compromising the quality of life.
The first part was focused on the frugality and objectives concerning Interreg Europe project FEEL. Key discussions centered on the importance of community engagement, co-management, and green urban development. Izabela Starszewska highlighted how shared spaces, like the Współdzielnik (“community sharing hub”) project, can activate local communities and strengthen social bonds. Wojciech Matejko emphasized that co-management, involving residents in urban governance, enhances the efficiency and effectiveness of city management. Main conclusion was that co-management should be a part in creating urban logistics plans. Monika Gołębiewska-Kozakiewicz addressed the need for cities to adopt frugal, green solutions to adapt to climate change, underscoring the importance of resilience and sustainability in urban planning.
After the quick coffee break part concerning last mile logistic begin. Firstly Tomasz Tosza, Deputy Director of Traffic Management Office of Warsaw City talked about the past, present and the future problems of mobility and logistics in urban areas. He paid attention to the constantly changing technology and urban infrastructure that can not keep up with the changes. Tomasz shared his opinion that in the future all vehicles will be autonomous, but this statement was met with criticism and numerous questions from the audience. During the next panel Head of the Mobility Policy Department of Warsaw City Maciej Florczak talked about Warsaw SUMP and the difficulties during the implementation in the future. He talked about the solutions that are applied in different European cities and why, with current national law, it is impossible to utilize it in Poland. He emphasized how important it is to include issues related to last mile logistics in strategic documents. After his speech mr. Florczak took part in discussion panel concerning the challenges of urban logistics where with Mirosław Gral, Vice President of company Last Mile Experts and Maciej Mysona, Director of Business Development of Economic Advisory Team from TOR they drew attention to the growing need for planning further parcel machines, gaps in legislation and the need to introduce pilot projects under the last-mile logistics.
The meeting allowed to increase the level of readiness of Warsaw, Legionowo and Łomianki to implement sustainable last mile delivery systems. It turned out that cities currently haven't much influence on what deliveries look like in the city - so project such as SPOTLOG can support the development of new solutions and pilots assuming cooperation between both the local government and logistics companies.