The Forgotten Urban Transportation Problem We Should Be Trying to Fix

In the grand scheme of urban mobility, it's easy to lose track of commercial freight movement. Commuters are the primary source of traffic coming into and out of the city, and parking causes much of the street-to-street congestion within it. Fact is, says transport scholar Genevieve Giuliano of the University of Southern California, it's so easy to forget about freight that metropolitan areas have done so for years — at their own peril.

"Any of us who live in cities and metropolitan areas are very dependent on urban freight, because that's how all of the goods and services we purchase get here," says Giuliano. "It's fascinating to me that it's never been a part of city planning."