Green Cities conference - Green Logistics For Greener Cities, one of the most important events in the field of logistics, was held between the 13th and 14th of September at the Maritime University of Szczecin.
The conference was co-organised by the Faculty of Economics and Transport Engineering (FETE) of the Maritime University of Szczecin, the Marshal's Office of the West Pomeranian Province and the Central European Transport Corridor Initiative, European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation and is part of the Low Carbon Logistics (LCL) project funded by the South Baltic Programme.
Nearly 100 people from 19 countries participated in the sessions and 65 presentations were given!
Urban transport issues discused
The conference is a sharing platform for knowledge and experience in terms of the urban logistics solutions implementation in the context of sustainable development, with particular emphasis on addressing environmental issues and reducing the negative environmental impact of urban freight transport which rarely occupies an important part of our mind, but it is worth remembering that it concerns all the cities residents.Goods delivery services to the centres of large metropolises and smaller towns directly affect the lives of its residents. We all want to have all the products we need available to us, often without thinking about how the goods need to be transported to the site. Systems-based and ecological solutions to urban supply problems have been the subject of reflection by researchers and practitioners from all over the world.
World-renowned guests and engaging topics
Global logistics experts Russell Thompson from the University of Melbourne and Ron van Duin from the Delft University of Technology were among the conference guests. The conference lasted two days - the first day was dedicated to academic presentations, while on the second day, specific subject-based discussion sessions were held.The West Pomeranian Province as a partner of the event, has organised a transnational debate. Representatives of 9 projects implemented under 5 EU programmes (inc.: LCL, EUFAL, SULPiTER, NOVELOG, TalkNet, Emma, TENTacle, SubNodes and Scandria®2Act.) were invited to participate in the discussion entitled New Challenges for Transport Systems beyond 2020. The discussion on transport and logistics development shifted the perspective from the urban perspective to the broader, regional level.
Conclusions
The debate was attended by representatives of many backgrounds, making it an excellent place to exchange knowledge and experience in the implementation of effective and innovative transport solutions. The issues raised in the discussions made it possible to look for answers to many questions related to the future of transport and logistics, the priorities of transport policy after 2020, the possibilities of reducing the negative impact of transport systems on the environment and the challenges in the field of freight transport in the light of progressing urbanisation.