Urban Freight Lab

08/14/2026

A behind-the-scenes look at our recent conversation with Patricia Murphy and Anna Marie Yanny at KUOW Public Radio's Seattle Now.

The interview focused on our work studying Little Free Pantries, what these community-led food resources can tell us about how people access food in their neighborhoods, and what we have learned.

We’re grateful to KUOW for spending some time with us, learning more about the project, and sharing our work with their listeners.

Listen to Giacomo Dalla Chiara on KUOW here:
https://omny.fm/shows/seattle-now/seattle-s-grassroots-food-pantries-just-got-easier-to-find

08/13/2026

Three of our researchers were in Toulouse, France, last month for the 17th World Conference on Transport Research Society (WCTRS), joining about 1,500 transportation researchers, practitioners, and policymakers from around the world to talk about the future of transportation.

Giacomo Dalla Chiara presented “Commercial Vehicle Load Zone Programs in US Cities,” Travis Fried presented “Logistics Sprawl and Environmental Justice: Unpacking Racial Disparities in Last-Mile Delivery,” and Oliver Olmedo presented “Parcel Lockers, Under Which Conditions Do They Tick?”

From loading zones and parcel lockers to logistics sprawl and environmental justice, it's a great snapshot of the range of questions our researchers are exploring around how freight moves through cities.

We’re always happy to see Urban Freight Lab research shared at conferences like WCTR, and especially glad our researchers had the chance to share their work and connect with colleagues from around the world.

Congratulations, Giacomo, Travis, and Oliver!

07/27/2026

Tomorrow, Urban Freight Lab members will come together for our quarterly meeting to explore how emerging technologies like AI are shaping how decisions are made across cities and freight systems.

Together with our member and partner community, we'll explore how AI is being applied in practice. We'll hear from Mark Chiusano (Net Zero Logistics) on New York City policy updates, learn how industry leaders are approaching AI, and discuss new opportunities for AI in urban planning and freight research with Arsalan Esmaili (Supply Chain Transportation & Logistics Graduate Degree).

These quarterly meetings are a chance for our community to come together, share experiences, and learn from one another. Bringing together researchers, practitioners, public agencies, and industry partners creates space for thoughtful conversations about what's working, what's not, and what's next.

Looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow.

07/18/2026

Congratulations to our longtime friend and colleague Diniece Mendes this recognition and her leadership of New York City's Fast Buses initiative. Diniece has been part of the Urban Freight Lab community since our early days, serving as an expert reviewer during our first research efforts in 2016. It's exciting to see her work with the NYC DOT and Metropolitan Transportation Authority - MTA helping improve bus service and mobility for New Yorkers.

This feature in TheGrio highlights both her leadership and the ambitious effort underway to improve bus service, mobility, and access across New York City. We're proud to see a friend of the Lab leading such an important initiative.

Black women make up 2% of the engineering workforce, making Diniece Mendes's role in transforming the U.S.'s largest bus system significant.

07/17/2026

We have a new issue of The Goods newsletter coming soon, a roundup of research and project updates from the Urban Freight Lab. This edition highlights what’s happening at the Lab, from new leadership and ongoing research projects to recent publications and upcoming events.

Here's a quick look at what we're sharing:

• 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞: Tom Maxner recently stepped into the role of Director of the Urban Freight Lab.

• 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞: We’re evaluating vehicle access changes at Pike Place Market, sharing recent media coverage of our pilot project using smart sensors to better understand how community Little Free Pantries are used, and launching a new study with SDOT through a federal RAISE grant to plan for Low Pollution Neighborhoods.

• 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: We’re highlighting recent peer-reviewed research on last-mile curb space, commercial vehicle load zones, and approaches to reducing urban freight emissions.

• 𝐔𝐩𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 & 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬: We’ve also included a roundup of upcoming conferences and events where members of the Lab will be presenting their work.

Join our mailing list to receive The Goods in your inbox: https://urbanfreightlab.com/subscribe/

07/10/2026

Behind every Little Free Pantry is a network of people helping one another. In a recent KUOW Public Radio-OPB interview, Urban Freight Lab Senior Research Scientist Giacomo Dalla Chiara discusses PantryMap and what researchers are learning about Seattle’s network of community pantries, from food donations and pantry activity to the broader role these spaces play in supporting neighbors across the region. It's a thoughtful conversation about food access, mutual aid, and the value of making these community resources more visible.

Listen here:

You can find little free food pantries all around Seattle neighborhoods. They’re a great place to stock up on a few things or to donate ingredients to a neighbor. Researchers at the University of Washington just launched an app to help people find and fill the pantries. They’re hoping to reduce ...

07/07/2026

Little Free Pantries operate on a simple idea: take what you need, leave what you can. But because these pantries are decentralized and community-run, it can be difficult to know when a pantry needs restocking or where donations are needed most.

The Daily highlights PantryMap, an Urban Freight Lab project that combines community reporting, mapping tools, and low-cost sensors to help make pantry activity more visible in real time.

The goal is simple: make it easier for communities to connect available food with people who need it.

UW researchers map Little Free Pantries

07/02/2026

UFL is heading to Detroit for the American Society of Civil Engineers International Conference on Transportation & Development (ICTD) to present a poster. Connect with us if you're attending!

07/02/2026

The Urban Freight Lab attended the ITE Western District Annual Meeting this week to share research on the future of urban mobility. Two members of our research team presented their work. Giacomo Dalla Chiara shared insights on strategic pricing for urban freight parking in Seattle, and Jake Paulsene discussed integrating freight into complete streets frameworks, utilizing a text-mining analysis of current policy frameworks.

Always appreciate the opportunity to engage with the broader transportation community and work together on scalable solutions.

06/27/2026

We are thrilled to celebrate two of our Ph.D. students, Travis Fried, Ph.D. and Tom Maxner, Ph.D., on completing their doctoral degrees.

Both Travis and Tom have been integral to the Urban Freight Lab community, making meaningful contributions to our research program, advancing work in urban freight systems, helping shape how cities can move goods more efficiently and equitably, and serving on our UW Sustainable Transportation - Planning & Livable Communities Master's Degree and Supply Chain Transportation & Logistics Graduate Degree teaching teams.

We are especially excited that they will both be continuing their work here with the UFL. Travis has stepped into a Research Engineer role, and Tom into the role of Director of the Lab.

We're so grateful for their scholarship, collaboration, and leadership, and look forward to what they will build in these next chapters.

Congratulations, Travis and Tom, on this huge milestone!