Making logistics visible and easier to plan

Delivery traffic, construction logistics, waste collection and other commercial transport activities are essential to the functioning of cities and municipalities and, at the same time, have a significant impact on local transport systems. While extensive data is often available for passenger transport, considerably less is usually known about logistics activities at the municipal level.

However, municipalities need information on freight and commercial transport in order to identify traffic impacts and conflicts over the use of public space and to develop targeted measures for climate protection, road safety and the quality of public spaces.

The “Logistics in Figures” guide, published in 2025 under the leadership of IFZ, provides municipalities with a practice-oriented tool for systematically analysing their logistics activities. It follows a problem-oriented approach: What specific questions does a municipality want to answer? What data is already available? Where are the relevant data gaps – and which methods can be used to address them with reasonable effort?

The “Logistics Data in Municipalities” project brought this methodological approach into municipal practice.

Practical application in Amstetten and Waidhofen an der Ybbs

Together with the cities of Amstetten and Waidhofen an der Ybbs, the guide was tested under real-world municipal conditions and applied to specific local questions. Existing data sources were reviewed, local logistics structures and relevant stakeholders were analysed, and potential fields of application and suitable data collection methods were identified.

One of the key findings of the pilot activities is that municipalities often do not have to start from scratch when it comes to logistics data. Relevant information is already available across different areas of municipal administration – including transport and infrastructure data, land-use and construction-site data, information from waste management, and existing traffic counts.

However, these datasets are often managed separately and are rarely combined specifically to address questions related to freight and commercial transport. Systematically reviewing and linking existing information can therefore generate new insights into local logistics activities with comparatively little additional effort.

Only where existing data proves insufficient are additional surveys and data collection activities required. Depending on the specific question, different methods can be applied and combined – ranging from traffic counts and observations to surveys and interviews, as well as external and digitally generated data sources.

From loading zones to construction and waste collection traffic

Municipal logistics encompasses considerably more than parcel and delivery services. Accordingly, logistics data can support a wide range of applications.

It can help municipalities identify spatial and temporal logistics hotspots, plan loading and delivery zones according to actual demand, improve the organisation of construction traffic, analyse waste collection activities, or identify conflicts over the use of public space.

Logistics data can therefore also provide a basis for broader municipal objectives. It enables municipalities to consider commercial transport, climate protection, road safety and the quality of public spaces together and to develop measures based on more robust evidence.

Sharing experience and incorporating different perspectives

The practical application in the pilot municipalities was complemented by an exchange with additional “Follower Cities”. This made it possible to reflect on the experiences gained in the pilot cities under different municipal conditions and to identify additional potential applications for the guide.

The exchange also demonstrated that data-based logistics planning is not only relevant for large cities. Smaller and medium-sized municipalities in particular need approaches that can be implemented with limited resources and make efficient use of existing datasets.

The approach developed by IFZ therefore deliberately focuses on accessible, combinable methods and the systematic use of existing data.

From data to municipal decisions

The project demonstrates that improving the data basis for municipal logistics does not necessarily require extensive new data collection. Instead, the key is to start with a specific municipal question, systematically use existing information, and address data gaps only where additional information is actually needed for planning and decision-making.

This approach is also gaining importance in the context of Austria's logistics policy, where digitalisation and the improved use of data are increasingly important foundations for the further development of freight transport and logistics.

The project results have been compiled in the publication “Logistics Data in Municipalities – Documentation of Practical Experience and Applications of the ‘Logistics in Figures’ Guide in Municipalities”. It provides municipalities with a practical entry point and uses the pilot applications to demonstrate how a robust basis for sustainable municipal logistics planning can be developed step by step.

Further information and download

The publication “Logistics Data in Municipalities” is available on the website of the Federal Ministry for Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure (BMIMI).