Creating Sustainable and Integrated Logistics Systems at Berlin's Holzmarkt Site Through Processual and Infrastructural Transformations (Stadtquartier 4.0)

Changing patterns in the production, consumption and delivery of goods are forcing urban quarters to adapt. In recent times, there has been a significant rise in the quantity of goods ordered and delivered. Increasingly, groceries for immediate consumption are also being ordered and delivered, alongside other products of mid- and long-term needs. The resultant rise in the quantity of transported goods, and the emergence of intricate delivery networks, pose a major challenge for cities. As ever more delivery vehicles navigate city streets, pollution and traffic congestion increase, while traffic accidents become more likely.
Germany's Federal Ministry of Education and Research has launched the “Urban Quarter 4.0” (Stadtquartier 4.0) research project in an effort to identify and experiment with solutions to such challenges. To this end, the project partners (IRS, the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Systems and Design Technology, the LogisticNetwork Consultants GmbH and Holzmarkt 25 eG) were pooling their expertise in the fields of logistics and mobility, as well as in urban farming and aquaponics, to explore possible solutions. They were seek to identify sustainable solutions that will encourage the local production of goods, the use of cargo bikes, and the utilisation of off-peak times and shared delivery vehicles. The project intended to thereby create a viable, networked and sustainable logistics system which will be tested at Berlin's Holzmarkt site.