On the interface between surface and underground transport networks

In urban areas underground logistical systems - designed as delivery service to provide shops, industrial sites and office locations - may help to relieve the pressure of the road network in particular in the old inner cities which have to deal with increasing traffic congestion. When shops are provided by such an underground logistic system unloading trucks will not disturb shoppers in shopping streets or traffic flows in streets where cars are allowed. Recently a number of pilot studies on the feasibility of such systems have been held in The Netherlands. The emphasis of those studies is on technical, conceptual, strategie, legal and economie feasibility. So far, no studies have been carried out on the impact of such systems on the spatial structure of cities. In this paper we will address two topics. Firstly, we will discuss the potential impacts of such a system on the spatial location of economie activities -in particular shopping centres - in urban areas. Secondly, we will discuss by a number of case studies promising locations for Urban Logistic Parks. These are sites - located near the urban built environment - where goods will be transferred from traditional surface transport modes, such as truck, train and barge, to the logistic underground system to be transported into the city.