Optimizing loading space locations for walkable city centers

The creation of pedestrian zones in city centers has a number of positive impacts on the environment and human activities. At the same time, for the revitalization of city centers, goods must be delivered smoothly to stores, offices, and other places of activity. Since pedestrian zones often restrict the movement of freight vehicles, the increased distance between loading spaces and delivery destinations may lead to a decrease in delivery efficiency. Therefore, it is necessary to examine how delivery efficiency can be maintained under pedestrianization plans. To this end, this study performs an optimal location analysis of loading spaces for freight vehicles, explicitly considering different pedestrianization plans. We first develop a multi-agent discrete event simulation that deals with the interactions between delivery agents through the dynamics of the capacity and availability of loading spaces. Based on the simulation model, we formulate an optimal location problem of loading spaces to minimize the total time of delivery activities, including driving, walking, and service at the delivery destination. This optimization problem considers a pedestrianization scenario as an exogenous constraint that restricts the location of loading spaces, allowing for an optimal location analysis under various scenarios. We apply this approach to the city center network of Omiya City, Japan, and analyze delivery efficiency and pedestrian–vehicle conflicts under actual pedestrianization scenarios.