In the last century, there was a significant increase in the importance of cities, and the rapidly progressing process of urbanization was accompanied by an increase in the number of cities and a significant growth in their population. As a result, cities are currently the main entities of economic, social, and political life. Cities are increasing their activity within the framework of their leading functions and are undertaking new activities, thereby fulfilling new functions. Furthermore, urban areas are expanding spatially, absorbing suburban areas of an agricultural nature. The labor needs of cities cause the rural population to flow into cities, changing their sources of livelihood, which consequently leads to further urban sprawl.The constant development of cities and the various transformations associated with it entail the emergence of diverse problems related to the functioning of cities. The concentration of industry, trade, and services in a relatively small area and high population density mean that in the same place and at the same time, economic entities and individuals report the need to simultaneously use urban infrastructure.
Activities such as moving around the city, storing goods, supplying entities within the city, distributing products, the functioning of public institutions, or waste disposal are becoming difficult. Both the costs of conducting business in the city and the costs of maintaining residents are rising. This must be countered in order to ensure conditions for the efficient functioning of entities in the city and to enable the fulfillment of the living functions of its residents. Therefore, appropriate city management is necessary, using methods related to logistics in cities, which are successfully applied in enterprises. (…)
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Source: Logistyka Magazine 6/2011