Where goods meet people: a conceptual framework integrating urban freight transport into land use and public space

Artikel i vetenskaplig tidskrift, 2026

Urban transport planning has long centred on the movement of people, while transport of goods is more often treated as a secondary concern. This paper develops a conceptual framework that integrates people and goods transport as interconnected systems, linking long-term land use and network decisions with the short-term dynamics through which public space is designed, allocated, and managed. Using the framework as an analytical lens, we review empirical evidence on four urban planning trends: curbside management, the superblock model, the 15-minute city, and logistics zoning. The framework and review reveal recurring blind spots: people-oriented initiatives often understate implications for goods transport, while goods-oriented initiatives tend to overlook wider impacts on people’s mobility and city life. We conclude with a research agenda for embedding urban freight more structurally within transport planning and urban design.