IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/retrec/v109y2025ics0739885924001124.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A novel comprehensive spatial accessibility indicator to capture the latent nature of accessibility in logistic warehouses

Author

Listed:
  • Pinheiro, Carlos David Pedrosa
  • Gonzalez Feliu, Jesus
  • Bertoncini, Bruno Vieira

Abstract

The strategic positioning of warehouses is fundamental for mitigating urban freight transport challenges and advancing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), influencing both the volume and efficiency of freight movements. This study explores the relationship between spatial accessibility and warehouse location decisions, emphasising the integration of accessibility metrics in urban planning. By applying Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), we developed a comprehensive accessibility indicator that incorporates transportation infrastructure, land use patterns, temporal constraints, and individual stakeholder needs. Using Fortaleza, Brazil, as a case study, we assessed the spatial distribution of this indicator and its correlation with the density of large warehouses established. Our findings indicate a significant spatial relationship between high accessibility zones and warehouse locations, highlighting the indicator's effectiveness in guiding logistical operations and urban policy. The research underscores the importance of accessibility in fostering sustainable and equitable urban development, offering valuable insights for both public authorities and private logistics sectors in optimizing urban freight distribution.

Suggested Citation

  • Pinheiro, Carlos David Pedrosa & Gonzalez Feliu, Jesus & Bertoncini, Bruno Vieira, 2025. "A novel comprehensive spatial accessibility indicator to capture the latent nature of accessibility in logistic warehouses," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:retrec:v:109:y:2025:i:c:s0739885924001124
    DOI: 10.1016/j.retrec.2024.101517
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0739885924001124
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.retrec.2024.101517?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Yuan, Quan, 2019. "Does context matter in environmental justice patterns? Evidence on warehousing location from four metro areas in California," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 328-338.
    2. Kang, Sanggyun, 2020. "Warehouse location choice: A case study in Los Angeles, CA," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    3. de Abreu e Silva, João & Alho, André Romano, 2017. "Using Structural Equations Modeling to explore perceived urban freight deliveries parking issues," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 18-32.
    4. Konstantina Katsela & Şeyma Güneş & Travis Fried & Anne Goodchild & Michael Browne, 2022. "Defining Urban Freight Microhubs: A Case Study Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-27, January.
    5. Azmoodeh, Mohammad & Haghighi, Farshidreza & Motieyan, Hamid, 2023. "The capability approach and social equity in transport: Understanding factors affecting capabilities of urban residents, using structural equation modeling," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 137-151.
    6. Francesco P. Deflorio & Jesus Gonzalez-Feliu & Guido Perboli & Roberto Tadei, 2012. "The Influence of Time Windows on the Costs of Urban Freight Distribution Services in City Logistics Applications," Post-Print halshs-00736428, HAL.
    7. Yang, Zhiwei & Chen, Xiaohong & Pan, Ruixu & Yuan, Quan, 2022. "Exploring location factors of logistics facilities from a spatiotemporal perspective: A case study from Shanghai," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 100(C).
    8. Javanmard, Reyhane & Lee, Jinhyung & Kim, Kyusik & Park, Jinwoo & Diab, Ehab, 2024. "Evaluating the impacts of supply-demand dynamics and distance decay effects on public transit project assessment: A study of healthcare accessibility and inequalities," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    9. van Wee, Bert, 2016. "Accessible accessibility research challenges," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 9-16.
    10. Gonzalez-Feliu, Jesus & Sánchez-Díaz, Iván, 2019. "The influence of aggregation level and category construction on estimation quality for freight trip generation models," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 134-148.
    11. Boisjoly, Geneviève & El-Geneidy, Ahmed, 2016. "Daily fluctuations in transit and job availability: A comparative assessment of time-sensitive accessibility measures," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 73-81.
    12. Markus Hesse, 2004. "Land For Logistics: Locational Dynamics, Real Estate Markets And Political Regulation Of Regional Distribution Complexes," Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG, vol. 95(2), pages 162-173, April.
    13. François Combes, 2019. "Equilibrium and Optimal Location of Warehouses in Urban Areas: A Theoretical Analysis with Implications for Urban Logistics," Post-Print hal-03272805, HAL.
    14. Dablanc, Laetitia, 2007. "Goods transport in large European cities: Difficult to organize, difficult to modernize," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 41(3), pages 280-285, March.
    15. Guerin, Leonardo & Vieira, José Geraldo Vidal & de Oliveira, Renata Lúcia Magalhães & de Oliveira, Leise Kelli & de Miranda Vieira, Henrique Ewbank & Dablanc, Laetitia, 2021. "The geography of warehouses in the São Paulo Metropolitan Region and contributing factors to this spatial distribution," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    16. Oliveira, Leise Kelli de & Lopes, Gabriela Pereira & Oliveira, Renata Lúcia Magalhães de & Bracarense, Lílian dos Santos Fontes Pereira & Pitombo, Cira Souza, 2022. "An investigation of contributing factors for warehouse location and the relationship between local attributes and explanatory variables of Warehouse Freight Trip Generation Model," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 206-219.
    17. Ingvardson, Jesper Bláfoss & Nielsen, Otto Anker, 2019. "The relationship between norms, satisfaction and public transport use: A comparison across six European cities using structural equation modelling," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 37-57.
    18. Léonardo Guerin & José Geraldo Vidal Vieira & Renata Lúcia Magalhães de Oliveira & Leise Kelli de Oliveira & Henrique Ewbank de Miranda Vieira & Laetitia Dablanc, 2021. "The geography of warehouses in the São Paulo Metropolitan Region and contributing factors to this spatial distribution," Post-Print hal-03565703, HAL.
    19. Eric Marcon & Florence Puech, 2010. "Measures of the geographic concentration of industries: improving distance-based methods," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 10(5), pages 745-762, September.
    20. Verhetsel, Ann & Kessels, Roselinde & Goos, Peter & Zijlstra, Toon & Blomme, Nele & Cant, Jeroen, 2015. "Location of logistics companies: a stated preference study to disentangle the impact of accessibility," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 110-121.
    21. Aljohani, Khalid & Thompson, Russell G., 2016. "Impacts of logistics sprawl on the urban environment and logistics: Taxonomy and review of literature," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 255-263.
    22. Birch, Colin P.D. & Oom, Sander P. & Beecham, Jonathan A., 2007. "Rectangular and hexagonal grids used for observation, experiment and simulation in ecology," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 206(3), pages 347-359.
    23. Sakai, Takanori & Kawamura, Kazuya & Hyodo, Tetsuro, 2019. "Evaluation of the spatial pattern of logistics facilities using urban logistics land-use and traffic simulator," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 145-160.
    24. Laetitia Dablanc & Scott Ogilvie & Anne Goodchild, 2014. "Logistics Sprawl: Differential Warehousing Development Patterns in Los Angeles and Seattle," Post-Print hal-00944130, HAL.
    25. Lucas Albuquerque-Oliveira, João & Moraes Oliveira-Neto, Francisco & Pereira, Rafael H.M., 2024. "A novel route-based accessibility measure and its association with transit ridership," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    26. Regal, Andrés & Gonzalez-Feliu, Jesús & Rodriguez, Michelle, 2023. "A spatio-functional logistics profile clustering analysis method for metropolitan areas," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    27. Aljohani, Khalid & Thompson, Russell G., 2020. "A multi-criteria spatial evaluation framework to optimise the siting of freight consolidation facilities in inner-city areas," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 51-69.
    28. Wagner, Tina, 2010. "Regional traffic impacts of logistics-related land use," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 17(4), pages 224-229, August.
    29. Woudsma, Clarence & Jensen, John F. & Kanaroglou, Pavlos & Maoh, Hanna, 2008. "Logistics land use and the city: A spatial-temporal modeling approach," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 44(2), pages 277-297, March.
    30. Law, Teik Hua & Daud, Mohd Shazwan & Hamid, Hussain & Haron, Nuzul Azam, 2017. "Development of safety performance index for intercity buses: An exploratory factor analysis approach," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 46-52.
    31. Aljohani, Khalid & Thompson, Russell G., 2021. "Profitability of freight consolidation facilities: A detailed cost analysis based on theoretical modelling," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    32. Howard, Matt C., 2023. "A systematic literature review of exploratory factor analyses in management," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 164(C).
    33. Sakai, Takanori & Beziat, Adrien & Heitz, Adeline, 2020. "Location factors for logistics facilities: Location choice modeling considering activity categories," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    34. Cheng, Yung-Hsiang & Chen, Ssu-Yun, 2015. "Perceived accessibility, mobility, and connectivity of public transportation systems," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 386-403.
    35. Takanori Sakai & Adrien Beziat & Adeline Heitz, 2020. "Location factors for logistics facilities: Location choice modeling considering activity categories," Post-Print halshs-03196110, HAL.
    36. Sohn, So Young & Han, Hong Kyu & Jeon, Hye Jin, 2007. "Development of an Air Force Warehouse Logistics Index to continuously improve logistics capabilities," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 183(1), pages 148-161, November.
    37. Wang, Yanxia & Li, Yisong & Huang, Yixiao & Gong, Daqing, 2023. "Analyzing the impacts of logistics suburbanization on logistics service accessibility: Accessibility modeling approach for urban freight," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 25-44.
    38. Schreiber, M. & Malesios, C.C. & Psarakis, S., 2012. "Exploratory factor analysis for the Hirsch index, 17 h-type variants, and some traditional bibliometric indicators," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 6(3), pages 347-358.
    39. Jesus Gonzalez-Feliu & Josep-Maria Salanova Grau & Adrien Beziat, 2014. "A location-based accessibility analysis to estimate the suitability of urban consolidation facilities," International Journal of Urban Sciences, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(2), pages 166-185, July.
    40. Petrović, Đorđe & Mijailović, Radomir M. & Pešić, Dalibor, 2022. "Persons with physical disabilities and autonomous vehicles: The perspective of the driving status," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 164(C), pages 98-110.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Pinheiro, Carlos David Pedrosa & Gonzalez Feliu, Jesus & Bertoncini, Bruno Vieira, 2025. "Addressing spatial heterogeneity and MAUP in urban transport geography: A multi-scale analysis of accessibility and warehouse location," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 123(C).
    2. David Guerrero & Jean Paul Hubert & Martin Koning & Nicolas Roelandt, 2022. "On the Spatial Scope of Warehouse Activity: An Exploratory Study in France," Post-Print hal-03551270, HAL.
    3. Tare, Apeksha & Nefs, Merten & Koomen, Eric & Verhoef, Erik, 2024. "Spatial drivers of logistics development in the Netherlands," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).
    4. Sakai, Takanori & Kawamura, Kazuya & Hyodo, Tetsuro, 2020. "Logistics facilities for intra and inter-regional shipping: Spatial distributions, location choice factors, and externality," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    5. Guerrero, D. & Hubert, J.-P. & Koning, M. & Roelandt, N., 2022. "On the spatial scope of warehouse activity: An exploratory study in France," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    6. Wang, Kailai & Chen, Zhenhua & Cheng, Long & Zhu, Pengyu & Shi, Jian & Bian, Zheyong, 2023. "Integrating spatial statistics and machine learning to identify relationships between e-commerce and distribution facilities in Texas, US," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    7. Trent, Nadia M. & Joubert, Johan W., 2022. "Logistics sprawl and the change in freight transport activity: A comparison of three measurement methodologies," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    8. Yang, Yitao & Jia, Bin & Yan, Xiao-Yong & Zhi, Danyue & Song, Dongdong & Chen, Yan & de Bok, Michiel & Tavasszy, Lóránt A. & Gao, Ziyou, 2023. "Uncovering and modeling the hierarchical organization of urban heavy truck flows," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    9. McLeod, Sam & Schapper, Jake H.M. & Curtis, Carey & Graham, Giles, 2019. "Conceptualizing freight generation for transport and land use planning: A review and synthesis of the literature," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 24-34.
    10. Oliveira, Renata Lúcia Magalhães de & Dablanc, Laetitia & Schorung, Matthieu, 2022. "Changes in warehouse spatial patterns and rental prices: Are they related? Exploring the case of US metropolitan areas," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 104(C).
    11. Yang, Zhiwei & Liu, Han & Chen, Xiaohong & Zhou, Jun & Yuan, Quan, 2025. "Discovering the origins of freight demand: An empirical investigation of spatial heterogeneity in the generation of heavy-duty truck trips," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 164(C), pages 60-79.
    12. Kang, Sanggyun, 2020. "Warehouse location choice: A case study in Los Angeles, CA," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    13. Yang, Zhiwei & Chen, Xiaohong & Pan, Ruixu & Yuan, Quan, 2022. "Exploring location factors of logistics facilities from a spatiotemporal perspective: A case study from Shanghai," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 100(C).
    14. Wang, Yanxia & Li, Yisong & Huang, Yixiao & Gong, Daqing, 2023. "Analyzing the impacts of logistics suburbanization on logistics service accessibility: Accessibility modeling approach for urban freight," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 25-44.
    15. Cuccu, Liliana & Pontarollo, Nicola, 2024. "Logistic hubs and support for radical-right populism: Evidence from Italy," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    16. Meiling He & Jiaren Shen & Xiaohui Wu & Jianqiang Luo, 2018. "Logistics Space: A Literature Review from the Sustainability Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-24, August.
    17. Zhao, Liyuan & Zhou, Cong & Liu, Kaili & Huang, Liyang & Li, Zhi-chun, 2024. "Comparison of the driving mechanism between logistics land use and facilities: A case study from Wuhan metropolitan area," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 114(C).
    18. Gardrat, Mathieu, 2021. "Urban growth and freight transport: From sprawl to distension," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    19. Sakai, Takanori & Beziat, Adrien & Heitz, Adeline, 2020. "Location factors for logistics facilities: Location choice modeling considering activity categories," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    20. Kang, Sanggyun, 2022. "Exploring the contextual factors behind various phases in logistics sprawl: The case of Seoul Metropolitan Area, South Korea," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 105(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:retrec:v:109:y:2025:i:c:s0739885924001124. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/620614/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.