Potential barriers to a resource efficient and service oriented hub for a new development in Frihamnen
Year: 2015
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Global trends of e-commerce will significantly affect the future of transport as coordinated transport substitutes private transport.Furthermore, the pressure on citizens to adapt to a more sustainable lifestyle creates a demand for sustainable waste management, recycling and consumption.Many people also argue that our consumption should move from new products to used products.City planners in Gothenburg are now aiming to consider these factors and trends when planning a new city district in Frihamnen.There is a city vision that looks to limit private transport, create an attractive urban environment and facilitate a sustainable lifestyle; therefore, strict traffic regulations will be introduced in this new development.To be able to provide the services that the citizens and businesses require, there are plans to introduce a service hub.This solution will deal with handling of goods (including groceries) and waste flows in Frihamnen, as well as provide a facility for reuse and upcycling.The concept is adopted from that of urban consolidation centers, UCCs, where last mile transport is coordinated through a redistribution central.The aim of this study is to identify barriers connected to the planning, implementation and operation of the service hub.The means of doing this was to arrange a focus group consisting of project stakeholders and future practitioners.The identified barriers were analyzed from the perspective of two theories: Path dependence and socio-technical transition theory.The study resulted in 15 barriers and a list of recommendations for the planners of the solution.A general conclusion is that while barriers are important and require attention, none of them seems to be severe enough to hinder the entire project.Most of the barriers relate to economics, organization and/or uncertainty about the future; very few are of a technical nature.The first recommendation to planners is to appoint a responsible authority for handling the organizational matters.The second recommendation is to make the citizens cover the majority of the operational cost.These payments should be collected via apartment fees.It is also recommended to use a problem-based approach when designing the hubit should not be designed before the traffic regulations are set.The implementation will imply several risks, but also potential benefits.Therefore, a recommendation would be that municipal authorities take a stand on what level of risk to accept in order to gain the advantages.Furthermore, if the solution is designed with regard to flexibility, it will be more adaptable to future changes in trends and consumer behavior.The final recommendations are to carefully investigate how different standards should be integrated to accomplish an efficient operation of the hub and also to consider excluding some of the services discussed in the initial planning phase.
Authors: Adam Carlsson, Alexander Spånglund
Language: English
Subfield: Transportation
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1644192908