Planning for Sustainable Urban Freight Transport : A Comparative Study of Measures to Reduce Carbon Emissions from Last Mile Transport in Oslo and Stockholm

Abstract: There is a need to reduce global carbon emissions in order to limit climate change, especially from the transport sector, as it contributes to a large share of these emissions. This thesis explores carbon emissions from urban freight transport in Oslo, Norway, and Stockholm, Sweden, and the measures and strategies that have been implemented in accordance with the municipalities’ targets. In addition, the involvement of relevant freight transport companies in these issues has been investigated, as well as the challenges and possibilities related to reducing carbon emissions from urban freight transport. Both municipalities have expressed ambitions to adhere to the European Union’s goals of emission reduction. However, based on the observations of this thesis, it is evident that the municipalities have yet to adequately implement impactful measures for urban freight transport, in order to reduce carbon emissions from this sector if they are to achieve their goals. The results show that that Oslo municipality has access to a substantial amount of data and statistics regarding urban freight transport, but is lacking a comprehensive freight plan. Stockholm municipality, on the other hand, has an urban freight transport plan, but is lacking comprehensive data and statistics about urban freight transport. The focus on - and inclusion of - urban freight transport in comprehensive urban planning could be argued to be increasing, but we contend that there is still a need to increase knowledge and understanding regarding emission reduction for urban freight transport across departments and cities, in order to reach a more sustainable future for urban freight transport.