The Deconcentration of Logistics in the Paris Region: The Silent Flight of Freight Terminals to the Suburbs
In this paper, we identify the changes in location of parcel transport agencies in the Paris region and discuss their impacts on the transport of goods and on local policies. We analyse the phenomenon of logistics sprawl (the displacement of logistics platforms towards the Paris suburbs in a dispersed rather than polarised form) which has characterised these establishments from the 1970s to the present day. Taking the example of parcel agencies which are the terminals organising urban parcel collection and distribution, we show the centrifugal trend in the location of these agencies using maps. A centrographic analysis has been used to quantify the average deconcentration of these agencies between 1974 and 2010. We use the carbon statement tool (the calculation of the CO2 emissions of an activity) to compare the CO2 emissions accountable to the deconcentration of logistics with the carbon savings promoted by the policy of the City of Paris in favour of urban logistics spaces. The paper also focuses on the regional level to evaluate the pertinence and the feasibility of a Paris region logistics infrastructure planning policy.