While it is common to see Amazon Prime vans circling the city of Seattle year-round, there might be even more deliveries than usual right now, thanks to the Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals that rang in the holiday season.

Researchers at the 天美影视传媒 were curious how the delivery of e-commerce products affects pollution levels across the Seattle metropolitan area, which includes Tacoma, Seattle, Bellevue and Everett.

According to the team’s study, neighborhoods within 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) of an Amazon last-mile delivery station or sortation center are exposed to twice the amount of delivery van and truck traffic than neighborhoods farther away. These neighborhoods are home to a higher proportion of low-income households and people of color compared to the rest of the metro area. These residents also order 14% fewer packages than average in this area.

The researchers Dec. 2 in Research in Transportation Economics.

“E-commerce is changing how we shop and how we travel in cities, but transportation researchers don’t really have a good way to measure or even talk about e-commerce in terms of equity,” said lead author , a UW doctoral student in the civil and environmental engineering department. “So, we started by asking, ‘Well, who’s ordering the packages?’ which I think we have a clearer idea of now. Then we asked, ‘Who’s affected by the pollution and the traffic that this ordering creates?’ Our study found that there’s a substantial disparity between those two populations.”

Because this is the first study of its kind, the researchers started by looking for broad trends based on household income and race. “People of color” in this study included people who identified as any other race or ethnicity besides non-Hispanic white on the census. The team defined a ‘vulnerable’ neighborhood as one with a below-average household income and a higher percentage of people of color compared to the broader metropolitan area.

To get an idea of who was ordering packages, the researchers used data from the , which, in a recent survey, included a question about how many packages people were ordering on an average day.

From there, the team looked at where the neighborhoods were situated compared to Amazon last-mile delivery stations.

“Last-mile delivery stations are a unique feature to the Amazon supply chain,” Fried said. “They have trucks going in, usually from a sortation or a fulfillment center that’s a little bit further out from the city. Then coming out the other end are cargo vans 鈥� these are the cargo vans that we see circulating our neighborhoods. Ultimately, we tried to estimate this inflow of trucks and outflow of cargo vans.”

The researchers chose to focus on Amazon because it is the biggest player in the e-commerce market. Any trend they found for Amazon would likely be similar for other e-commerce companies, the researchers said.

Based on a neighborhood’s proximity to a last-mile delivery station and the residential ordering behaviors, the researchers could model how cargo vans and trucks were distributed throughout the network. Then they used the to simulate the amount of pollution each neighborhood would experience.

“It’s almost like each warehouse represents a sun with rays emanating out of it,” Fried said. “Those rays will be more intense the closer you are, and then as it branches out to other neighborhoods, it becomes less dense. The closer you are to something that’s hot, the more heat you will end up feeling. And these warehouses are just massive generators of freight activity. But not all that is destined for those neighborhoods nearby. And that’s where the inequity lies.”

In some ways these results are not surprising, the researchers said.

“Warehousing and distribution centers have historically concentrated in historically marginalized communities, including those with a high number of low-income households and a high proportion of people of color,” Fried said. “The concentration of industrial zoning happened through mechanisms that were either explicitly racialized during the early-to-mid 20th century or had the indirect effect of creating segregation near industrial land. Even though these policies are illegal today, we still see evidence of them locked into our modern-day development.”

The researchers hope to expand this finding in future studies by looking at how these results specifically affect different racial and ethnic groups as well as other vulnerable groups, such as older adults and people with disabilities. The team is also planning to make the model more easily accessible for other cities to use.

As for what the average consumer can do now, the answer is not straightforward.

“You could say, ‘OK, just stop shopping online.’ But then people may just be driving more to shop and there will be more cars on the road, which still leads to more air pollution,” Fried said. “There’s no easy solution to this issue. But if we’re trying to improve something, we need to at least know where we start.”

Additional co-authors on this paper are , UW doctoral student in the industrial and systems engineering department, and , UW professor of civil and environmental engineering and director of the .

For more information, contact Fried at tfried3@uw.edu.

Seattle is one of the most congested cities in America, in part due to delivery trucks taking up space on crowded streets.

One solution could be for companies to make deliveries using bicycles instead. UPS announced today that . This test is expected to last a year, and the 天美影视传媒鈥檚 at the will help UPS evaluate the study鈥檚 outcomes.

“We are excited to play a role in this innovative approach in an effort to reduce traffic congestion in Seattle,” said , the director of the center and a UW professor of civil and environmental engineering.

UPS has pilot-tested its e-bike delivery systems all over the world, with the first test taking place in Hamburg, Germany, in 2012, and the first U.S. test in , in 2016. In those tests, UPS used an electrically assisted tricycle with a wagon over the back two wheels to hold packages.

For the Seattle pilot test, the wagons will be modular, detachable boxes that can carry up to 400 pounds and can be presorted according to neighborhood or route. This is the first time UPS will use these detachable wagons in the U.S.

UPS partnered with the to design a test route: The e-bikes will operate in Pike Place Market and the downtown Seattle area on sidewalks and in designated bike lanes.

To evaluate the pilot test, UPS will share its data with the UW’s Urban Freight Lab. The UW team will analyze three delivery routes that will be affected by the e-bikes to see how emissions change over the next year.

“We’re also going to measure if e-bikes will reduce the amount of time cargo vans and trucks spend in loading zones, and how pedestrians and other bicyclists are affected,” said , director of the Urban Freight Lab.

If this pilot test is successful, UPS plans to expand the e-bike delivery service to other areas of Seattle.

“I’m really proud of our collaboration with SDOT and UPS, because truly innovative solutions will only be found when we work together,” Goodchild said.

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For more information, contact Goodchild at annegood@uw.edu, Ivanov at ivanovb@uw.edu or Kristen Petrella at kpetrella@ups.com or 404-828-4182.

See a related story in .

Seattle is one of the most congested cities in America.

Delivery trucks take up space on already crowded roads and idle in parking spots and loading bays. And if no one is available to sign for a package, the process has to start all over again.

The 天美影视传媒鈥檚 at the has been looking for solutions: Parcel lockers that aren’t owned by a specific company, such as Amazon, could alleviate the strain. These lockers would provide truck drivers with one location to drop off their packages the first time. And if these lockers are located in a public space, such as a transit station in a dense neighborhood, residents could pick up packages at their convenience.

Now SCTL has identified five viable locker locations at three different Seattle Link light rail stations for a future pilot test. The researchers described their findings in a .

“There are some genuine practical hurdles to putting a locker in a public space,” said , the director of the SCTL and a UW professor of civil and environmental engineering. “Most academic research would stop at ‘we’ve built a model that shows that lockers should be faster,’ but we wanted to define problems and establish a framework for measuring improvement. Otherwise, how do we know if our suggestions are better?”

In the first demonstration of a common carrier locker system in a public space in the U.S., Goodchild and the team . Their case study showed that common carrier lockers . In addition, these lockers offer users a safe, automated self-service system to retrieve their packages.

Putting common carrier lockers at transit stations seemed like the best next step. Then people could retrieve packages whenever they ride the light rail.

First the team addressed whether Seattleites would be interested in picking up parcels from Link stations.

“This could be a brilliant idea that lowers trucks’ failed first delivery rates,” said , director of the Urban Freight Lab. “But if the riders don’t find it convenient, then they’ll choose to have the trucks drive all over the place instead.”

The team then surveyed riders during morning and evening rush hours over five days at the UW, Capitol Hill and Westlake stations.

For the UW station, 67 percent of the 43 surveyed riders said they would use common carrier lockers installed at the station. At the other stations, about 40 percent of riders were interested.

“Tens of thousands of riders go through these stations every day,” said Ivanov. “If we see that half of the ridership is interested in this new service, that is a very strong positive response.”

Because the results were so encouraging, the researchers partnered with the , and UPS to find viable locker sites at all three stations for a potential test pilot.

Currently, there are no official plans for a test pilot due to lack of funding. But the group is confident that this idea provides a unique solution that will both reduce delivery truck traffic in Seattle and provide residents with a safe and convenient way to receive packages.

“It’s really hard to identify someone this is not good for,” said Goodchild. “It’s good for the delivery company: a locker is a more reliable receiver than you are. And that’s one less trip for you.”

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For more information, contact Goodchild at annegood@uw.edu and Ivanov at ivanovb@uw.edu.

In Amazon鈥檚 hometown, people turn to their computers to order everything from groceries to last-minute birthday presents to the odd toothbrush or medication forgotten from the store.

If online shopping continues to grow at its current rate, there may be twice as many trucks delivering packages in Seattle鈥檚 city center within five years, a new report projects 鈥� and double the number of trucks looking for a parking space.

In the , the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) and the 天美影视传媒鈥檚 at the have analyzed solutions for alleviating urban congestion by making truck parking spaces more productive and reducing the growth of truck traffic.

鈥淪eattle is the perfect laboratory to find better ways of managing commercial truck parking and delivering packages in urban settings,鈥� said , SCTL director and a UW professor of civil and environmental engineering. 鈥淏y testing data-driven solutions on our streets and in our buildings, we hope to reduce traffic in congested areas of the city as well as missed deliveries that frustrate consumers and retailers alike.鈥�

By mapping privately owned delivery infrastructure for the first time, a team of UW researchers and students found that 87 percent of all the buildings in downtown Seattle, Uptown (also known as lower Queen Anne) and South Lake Union have to rely on the city鈥檚 curb and alley space to receive deliveries. Only 13 percent of buildings have loading bays or docks that allow trucks to park on private property.

That鈥檚 why the report focuses on what鈥檚 known as the 鈥淔inal 50 Feet鈥� problem: the last and surprisingly complicated leg of an urban delivery that begins when a driver must find a place to park a truck or vehicle 鈥� usually on a public street or alleyway 鈥� and ends when the customer takes receipt of their package.

It鈥檚 part of a broader research initiative spearheaded the by SCTL鈥檚 , which is partnering with SDOT, Nordstrom, UPS, the U.S. Postal Service and Charlie鈥檚 Produce to re-think everything from how cities apportion curb and street space to how building owners manage the growing avalanche of packages delivered to urban towers.

鈥淪eattle is one of the fastest-growing cities in the country, and SDOT is committed to meeting the urban goods delivery challenges facing most big cities in the U.S.,” said Christopher Eaves, project manager at SDOT. 鈥淲e know that issuing parking tickets to companies who are simply trying to meet the daily delivery needs of residents and businesses isn鈥檛 the right solution. So, our goal is to identify and implement scalable strategies that improve deliveries at existing buildings, as well as initiate strategic research to mine new data.鈥�

The UW research team found that reducing the number of failed delivery attempts as well as the amount of time a delivery truck is parked in a loading space could offer significant public and private benefits. UW researchers and SDOT plan to test promising improvement strategies in and on the streets around the聽 this spring.

鈥淭hese two actions alone could reduce congestion and free up curb space for cars, buses, bicycles and other people who need to use that shared public space,鈥� said Barbara Ivanov, director of the Urban Freight Lab. 鈥淭hose efficiencies have the added benefit of saving retailers and delivery services money, and getting orders into the hands of customers faster.鈥�

Cutting down on failed first delivery attempts has the potential to greatly reduce truck trips in Seattle, cut business costs and ensure that tenants in multifamily buildings can shop online and get their orders when they expect them, the report finds.

By tracking real-world deliveries in a downtown office building 鈥� the Seattle Municipal Tower 鈥� a hotel, a residential building, a historic building and the retail mall at Westlake Center, the UW researchers discovered delivery drivers encounter logistical barriers that consume a significant portion of their time. Clearing security in urban towers took 12 percent of the total time, and looking for tenants and riding freight elevators took 61 percent of the total time.

The report estimates that 73 percent of delivery time is spent in buildings and, as a result, the Urban Freight Lab will pilot test a smart locker system in the loading bay of the Seattle Municipal Tower. This could substantially reduce delivery time, failed first deliveries and the amount of time that delivery trucks occupy parking spaces that serve the building.

The smart locker system pilot will allow drivers from multiple delivery companies to securely leave packages in the vestibule of the 62-story Municipal Tower. Then, the locker system will notify enrolled tenants of deliveries by text or email and send a lock code, allowing them to pick up the packages at their convenience rather than having to stop working and intercept a delivery person in their office.

The Final 50 Feet project is the first time that SDOT, in partnership with the Urban Freight Lab, has analyzed both the street network and the city鈥檚 vertical space such as office, hotel, retail and residential towers as one unified goods delivery system.

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For more information, contact Goodchild at annegood@uw.edu and Ivanov at ivanovb@uw.edu.

Delivering packages with drones can reduce carbon dioxide emissions in certain circumstances as compared to truck deliveries, a new study from 天美影视传媒 聽transportation engineers finds.

In a to be published in an upcoming issue of , researchers found that drones tend to have carbon dioxide emissions advantages over trucks when the drones don鈥檛 have to fly very far to their destinations or when a delivery route has few recipients.

Trucks 鈥� which can offer environmental benefits by carrying everything from clothes to appliances to furniture in a single trip 鈥� become a more climate-friendly alternative when a delivery route has many stops or is farther away from a central warehouse.

For small, light packages 鈥� a bottle of medicine or a kid’s bathing suit 鈥� drones compete especially well. But the carbon benefits erode as the weight of a package increases, since these unmanned aerial vehicles have to use additional energy to stay aloft with a heavy load.

鈥淔light is so much more energy-intensive 鈥� getting yourself airborne takes a huge amount of effort. So I initially thought there was no way drones could compete with trucks on carbon dioxide emissions,鈥� said senior author , a UW associate professor of civil and environmental engineering. 鈥淚n the end, I was amazed at how energy-efficient drones are in some contexts. Trucks compete better on heavier loads, but for really light packages, drones are awesome.鈥�

Interest in the nonmilitary use of drones has increased dramatically with successful operations outside the United States in delivering food, medicine and mail. Within the U.S., the Federal Aviation Administration has recently created legal space for experimenting with drone deliveries, though it is not expected to fully authorize commercial operations for some time.

While public debate has largely focused on cost reduction, privacy implications and airspace congestion, few people have analyzed the environmental consequences that drone technology may have if fully adopted by industries, the researchers found.

The new analysis, led by former UW civil and environmental engineering graduate student Jordan Toy, compares carbon dioxide emissions and vehicle miles traveled from drone and truck deliveries in 10 different, real-world scenarios in Los Angeles. The model incorporated 330 different service zones, with the number of recipients varying from 50 to 500 in each zone.

The researchers relied on that were previously used in comparing the . The analysis also assumed that drones could carry only one package at a time and would return to a depot after each delivery 鈥� requiring far more back-and-forth and vehicle miles traveled than for an equivalent truck route.

The researchers estimated how much energy generation the drone deliveries would require, based on consumption for 10 different hypothetical drones. Carbon dioxide emissions were calculated using an average fuel mix for the state of California.

Goodchild said it鈥檚 unlikely that drones will be used for all delivery applications but that there are some contexts in which they appear to make sense 鈥� such as shorter trips in less densely developed communities, or in controlled places like a military base or campus. One could also envision a hybrid system in which a truck hauls an entire load of packages to a centralized location, and then a fleet of drones fans out in opposite directions to reach individual homes or businesses.

鈥淕iven what we found, probably the most realistic scenario is for drones doing the last leg of the delivery,鈥� said Goodchild, who also directs the UW . 鈥淵ou鈥檙e probably not going to see these in downtown Seattle anytime soon. But maybe in a rural community with roads that are slow and hard for trucks to navigate and no air space or noise concerns.鈥�

Another takeaway for Goodchild was realizing just how much progress engineers can make when they accept a challenge. Making a flying object so light that it can accommodate its own battery and actually perform useful work was an incredibly difficult problem to solve 鈥� yet that technology now exists, Goodchild said.

“We haven’t applied the same level of effort to engineering lightweight trucks 鈥� they鈥檙e excessively heavy and the on-road fleet doesn’t look much different than it did a few decades ago,鈥� she said. 鈥淚f we took the same amount of energy we鈥檝e put into making drones light and efficient, applied that to trucks and got them on the street, we could do so much good for the transportation industry and the environment.鈥�

For more information, contact Goodchild at annegood@uw.edu.

In the heart of Amazon鈥檚 online retail empire, Seattleites can get everything from toothpaste to Thai food to a last-minute birthday gift delivered within hours.

But as cities like Seattle add new residents with appetites for near-instant gratification, how can businesses operating in urban environments with aggravating traffic and competition for street space meet customer expectations for quick deliveries?

A new 天美影视传媒 research center will collaborate with the Seattle Department of Transportation and three founding industry members 鈥� Costco, Nordstrom and UPS 鈥� to tackle that question and test new solutions in urban goods delivery.

The UW will investigate high-impact, low-cost solutions for businesses delivering goods in urban settings and cities trying to manage limited curb and parking space where delivery trucks, bicycles, pedestrians and cars all need to coexist.

As part of the UW , the 鈥渓iving lab鈥� will bring transportation and urban planners who manage public spaces together with retailers, urban truck freight carriers, technology companies supporting transportation logistics and multifamily and commercial developers.

In Seattle鈥檚 growing number of apartment and condo buildings, for instance, the boom in online deliveries is also putting pressure on building owners to design loading and common areas that can handle the onslaught. With hundreds of residents now buying 10 or 20 percent of their goods online, a concierge who used to handle a flower delivery or two now may be running the equivalent of a package sort center in the building lobby.

鈥淪ome of the changes brought about by the rise in e-commerce have the potential to reduce costs and carbon dioxide and improve livability, but we need better planning and exchange to ensure these opportunities are harnessed,鈥� said civil and environmental engineering associate professor , who directs the transportation & logistics center, known as SCTL.

鈥淪eattle is a great location for this living laboratory because we have urban growth, geographic constraints and profound behavioral changes in the way people are buying things they need for daily life,鈥� she said.

At the same time, the the Urban Freight Lab and its industry members will investigate are applicable to other cities around the country.

鈥淲e have more than 300 Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack stores 鈥� many in dense urban settings with a range of delivery settings, including common docks and unique situations,鈥� said Loren VandenBerghe, director of transportation at Nordstrom. 鈥淲e are always interested in ways to better support our stores so we can better serve our customers. The SCTL鈥檚 efforts will be beneficial for us to glean some new best practices and actively participate in creating solutions so we can continue to do so.鈥�

SDOT director Scott Kubly on Wednesday announced a $285,000, 3-year research collaboration with the Urban Freight Lab that may grow over time.

鈥淔rom the first mile to the last fifty feet, freight delivery is changing,鈥� Kubly said. 鈥淔or big trucks coming out of the Port of Seattle and small trucks delivering to people’s homes and businesses, this joint project will address the rapidly evolving world of freight movement.鈥�

As an initial research question, the UW engineers, SDOT and lab members will focus on the 鈥渇inal 50 feet鈥� challenge, or the last leg of a delivery. It begins at the point where a delivery driver leaves a truck or vehicle on a street, alley or loading bay and extends through a privately owned building into a residential lobby or commercial area.

Students and researchers will first map existing freight infrastructure like private loading bays, as the city doesn鈥檛 have complete information about where those exist, and document how deliveries are being managed in the real world.

They鈥檒l also test solutions 鈥� from strategies to manage curb space or alleys differently to centralized drop-off lockers 鈥� to see how they work both in simulations and in the real world. Off-hours deliveries, for instance, can alleviate traffic and parking headaches. But would that noise disturb residents, or add to failed deliveries?

Eventually, the research team will develop an 鈥淯rban Freight Score鈥� 鈥� similar to that rates walkability for pedestrians 鈥� to evaluate the ability of trucks to access different locations around Seattle.

The new lab will draw on student expertise and research capacity from associated faculty members, as well as the UW鈥檚 , which combines business and engineering courses, exposes students to supply chain leaders at leading companies and allows students to work on a real-world operational issue.

鈥淚鈥檝e had the opportunity to work with the UW since the inception of the Supply Chain Transportation & Logistics Master’s program,鈥� said John Thelan, Costco鈥檚 Senior Vice President, Depot and Traffic. 鈥淭hey are a well-educated and very focused group. It鈥檚 a pleasure to invest in the future of such-high caliber students by forming this strategic partnership with the program.鈥�

Compared to other supply chain research programs around the country, the Urban Freight Lab is unique in bringing together stakeholders that manage both public and private aspects of urban deliveries, Goodchild said.

UPS and other freight carriers, for instance, can use sophisticated technologies to manage their own operations and run their own warehouses as profitably as possible, she said. But once a truck hits a city street, all bets are off.

鈥淭he problems where we can be of most value occur where a private company has to use public space or share public space 鈥� they can鈥檛 control that,鈥� Goodchild said. 鈥淭he ‘final 50 feet’ highlights the challenge of coordinating across numerous, diverse stakeholders. It鈥檚 a problem that isn鈥檛 going to solve itself and no one can solve independently.鈥�

For more information, contact Goodchild at annegood@uw.edu or SCTL鈥檚 chief operating officer Barb Ivanov at ivanovb@uw.edu.

Can we build to withstand natural disasters, reduce environmental toxins as consumption rises, meet urban transportation challenges so food, supplies and consumer products can get where they need to go?

Over the next month, College of Engineering鈥檚 annual will feature faculty focusing on these questions and developing technologies to build more resilient urban communities. The three lectures 鈥� on earthquake resiliency, sustainable transport of goods and emerging technologies for safe, clean water 鈥� are free and open to the public, but seating is limited and .

Engineering Solutions for a Seismically Resilient Seattle

The series kicks off Wednesday, Oct. 12, in Kane Hall 130 with a discussion by civil and environmental engineering associate professor on the Pacific Northwest鈥檚 readiness to withstand and recover from a major earthquake. Berman will detail seismic risks that are unique to the region; the innovation, research and planning necessary to prepare for 鈥渢he big one鈥�; and structural engineering technologies that can enable faster and stronger post-event repair.

Delivering Sustainability: Transporting Goods in Urban Spaces

On Wednesday, Nov. 2, in Kane Hall 120, , associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, will explore a question with answers that may surprise you: How does the rise of online shopping impact efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and create sustainable communities? As the popularity of online shopping and grocery delivery rises, consumers do have an opportunity to make more sustainable choices when it comes to transporting goods in urban spaces. But more delivery trucks also create competition for limited road and curb space with cars, buses, bikes and urban residents.

Understanding Our Chemical Fingerprints: Safer Water for Our Cities

The lecture series closes on Wednesday, Nov. 16, in Kane Hall 120 with civil and environmental engineering associate professor , an expert in the distinctive chemical fingerprints on water that our daily human activities leave, impacting salmon populations and other fish, animals and plants, as well as people鈥檚 health and safety. Although more than 80,000 chemicals are in circulation and thousands are introduced each year, only a handful are comprehensively evaluated for safety by the Environmental Protection Agency. Kolodziej will discuss the pathways that these chemicals take from homes, factories and offices into the waters around us, as well as emerging systems to remove toxic chemicals.

All lectures are free and start at 7:30 p.m. Advance registration, either or by calling 206-543-0540, is required. All lectures will be broadcast at a later date on .

天美影视传媒 engineers have found that using a grocery delivery service can cut carbon dioxide emissions by at least half when compared with individual household trips to the store. Trucks filled to capacity that deliver to customers clustered in neighborhoods produced the most savings in carbon dioxide emissions.

“A lot of times people think they have to inconvenience themselves to be greener, and that actually isn’t the case here,” said , UW associate professor of civil and environmental engineering. “From an environmental perspective, grocery delivery services overwhelmingly can provide emissions reductions.”

Consumers have increasingly more grocery delivery services to choose from. AmazonFresh operates in the Seattle area, while Safeway’s service is offered in many U.S. cities. FreshDirect delivers to residences and offices in the New York City area. Last month, Google a shopping delivery service experiment in the San Francisco Bay Area, and UW alumni recently the grocery service Geniusdelivery in Seattle.

As companies continue to weigh the costs and benefits of offering a delivery service, Goodchild and Erica Wygonik, a UW doctoral candidate in civil and environmental engineering, looked at whether using a grocery delivery service was better for the environment, with Seattle as a test case. In their analysis, they found delivery service trucks produced 20 to 75 percent less carbon dioxide than the corresponding personal vehicles driven to and from a grocery store.

They also discovered significant savings for companies 鈥� 80 to 90 percent less carbon dioxide emitted 鈥� if they delivered based on routes that clustered customers together, instead of catering to individual household requests for specific delivery times.

“What’s good for the bottom line of the delivery service provider is generally going to be good for the environment, because fuel is such a big contributor to operating costs and greenhouse gas emissions,” Wygonik said. “Saving fuel saves money, which also saves on emissions.”

The was funded by the Oregon Department of Transportation and published in the

The UW researchers compiled Seattle and King County data, assuming that every household was a possible delivery-service customer. Then, they randomly drew a portion of those households from that data to identify customers and assign them to their closest grocery store. This allowed them to reach across the entire city, without bias toward factors such as demographics and income level.

They used an Environmental Protection Agency modeling tool to calculate emissions at a much more detailed level than previous studies have done. Using factors such as vehicle type, speed and roadway type, they calculated the carbon dioxide produced for every mile for every vehicle.

Emissions reductions were seen across both the densest parts and more suburban areas of Seattle. This suggests that grocery delivery in rural areas could lower carbon dioxide production quite dramatically.

“We tend to think of grocery delivery services as benefiting urban areas, but they have really significant potential to offset the environmental impacts of personal shopping in rural areas as well,” Wygonik said.

Work commuters are offered a number of incentives to reduce traffic on the roads through discounted transit fares, vanpools and carpooling options. Given the emissions reductions possible through grocery delivery services, the research raises the question of whether government or industry leaders should consider incentives for consumers to order their groceries online and save on trips to the store, Goodchild said.

In the future, Goodchild and Wygonik plan to look at the influence of customers combining their grocery shopping with a work commute trip and the impact of the delivery service’s home-base location on emissions.

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For more information, contact Goodchild at annegood@uw.edu or 206-543-3747.