Urban distribution centres in historical cities from the perspective of residents, retailers and carriers

The heavy flow of vehicles in historical cities leads to negative impacts for city logistics and for the preservation of its heritage. The use of an urban distribution centre (UDC) is a solution to minimise these impacts. This paper compares the operational, economic, social, cultural, and environmental aspects that influence the implementation of a UDC in a Brazilian historical city, considering the viewpoints of the agents: residents, retailers and carriers. Having a more complete picture of these aspects by the agents, this paper also sheds light on corporate social responsibility (CSR) in urban freight transport (UFT). A survey was developed with each agent. Factor analysis is used to find the factors for implementation of a UDC and the Structural Equivalence by Orthogonal Procrustes Rotation is used to compare the factors. The findings reveal different points of view for these agents. Residents attached greater importance to factors related to habitability and sustainability in the city. Retailers focused on economic environmental issues, while carriers emphasised operational and environmental aspects.