Seven MetroFreight researchers from Los Angeles, New York, and Paris presented research papers at the Volvo Research and Educational Foundations (VREF) Conference, “Urban Freight 2016: Plan for the Future – Sharing Urban Space,” in Gothenburg, Sweden from October 17-19. This was the second international conference organized by the Urban Freight Platform (UFP), an initiative supported by VREF.

"MetroFreight leaders were inspired by the METRANS biennial International Urban Freight conference, and that informed the VREF decision to sponsor the conference in Gothenburg," said METRANS and MetroFreight Director Genevieve Giuliano. "Having European and U.S. urban freight conferences in alternating years is a big step forward for this critical transportation research area."

Giuliano presented research on the relationship between freight activity and urban form. Other METRANS-related participants included Thomas O'Brien who presented his research on the regulation of trucks as a critical supply-chain asset in port complexes. Sanggyun Kang, METRANS Research Assistant and Ph.D. Candidate, presented his research on the decentralization of warehouses in U.S. metropolitan areas.

The conference convened leaders in academia, industry, and government to explore the complexity of freight transport in urban areas with a focus on the need to share space at city and regional levels. The three-day event featured presentations, panels and break-out sessions discussing innovative urban freight solutions.

Participating MetroFreight researchers and their presentation topics are listed below: