Freight trip generation in metropolitan areas: an international perspective

Artikel i vetenskaplig tidskrift, 2026

Freight transportation is essential for urban life and economic growth, yet cities continue to face persistent challenges in managing its impacts. Estimating Freight Trip Generation (FTG)—the number of freight trips attracted or produced by establishments—provides a foundation for urban freight transportation planning, helping cities estimate freight-related travel demand and evaluate targeted initiatives. This paper presents the first international comparison of FTG patterns across metropolitan areas worldwide, addressing the lack of comparative FTG research and examining the transferability of FTG models across contexts. The study enables benchmarking of freight activity and identification of structural drivers such as urban form and economic composition. Establishment-level analyses show that establishment size and industry sector are consistent drivers of FTG, while aggregate results reveal that freight activity concentrates in urban cores and is dominated by the Accommodation and Food Services, Retail Trade, Wholesale Trade, and Manufacturing sectors. In addition, the paper introduces a conceptual framework highlighting the multifaceted drivers of FTG and provides practical recommendations for harmonized data collection practices, which are essential for advancing FTG research and strengthening the empirical basis for urban freight transportation planning.