Urban planning for the improvement of last-mile logistics: a two steps approach for analyzing walking accessibility of pickup points in a small Sicily town

The spread of e-commerce has transformed consumer habits and distribution. There is a need to improve the location of pickup points, starting from small inland areas to areas with particular travel problems, such as the one chosen, i.e. Enna, in the centre of Sicily. The following research focuses on a two-level analysis of the accessibility perceived by users and commercial vehicles. A series of indicators were defined to evaluate the supply in terms of accessibility, the construction of isochrones, and the selection of the walking mode of travel (by demand-user). Comparing the results obtained with the values of the resident population in the different areas adjacent to the sampling points, it emerged that, at present, the 12 presented sampling points do not have an optimised spatial distribution. The overall coverage is about 60% of the population, while all sampling points are generally easily accessible. The results form the basis for more in-depth analyses to improve urban logistics and last-mile services.