Urban logistics: from connectivity to predictive intelligence

Urban logistics is no longer a matter of optimised routes or fleets of electric vans. It has become a question of interoperability. Whoever controls the ability of vehicles and infrastructure to communicate effectively, controls the efficiency of the entire value chain. V2X communications and the evolution of 5G are not simply incremental technological upgrades; they are strategic levers of competitiveness. They determine whether a delivery arrives on time, whether a traffic light reduces congestion, or whether an entire fleet becomes a “mobile sensor” serving the city. The future of the sector lies here: in the invisible integration of data, networks and operational decisions, in the ability to process information in real time, forecast movement, and if necessary, adjust routes on the fly. This is the face of edge computing: distributed intelligence that makes urban logistics more agile and resilient.

The brain is no longer remote

For decades, the “cloud” was imagined as the great brain of mobility. But the cloud alone is too far away. Network latency, however small, is insufficient when a split-second decision must be made: whether to give priority to an ambulance or to a van transporting life-saving medicines. Edge computing changes the rules. It moves processing “closer to the road”, to local nodes capable of handling billions of data packets in mere milliseconds. It is an intelligence that does not wait. It reacts, it anticipates, it orchestrates.

Predictive logistics: far more than parcel delivery

In this new environment, vehicles are no longer just following the instructions of a navigation system. They are part of a network that guides them, corrects them, and at times makes decisions on their behalf. If a bridge is scheduled to close in ten minutes for maintenance, the edge does not wait for the closure to occur: it immediately recalculates routes for the entire fleet. If two vans are on course to reach the same loading bay simultaneously, the system resolves the conflict before drivers are even aware of it. Logistics thus becomes predictive logistics: not reacting to disruptions, but anticipating them.

A collective endeavour between roads, vehicles and the city

What makes the edge strategically important is its capacity to create a dynamic balance. No actor is isolated. The traffic light is no longer a passive object but a computing node that exchanges information with delivery vans. Logistics platforms become “clients” of this distributed intelligence, receiving precise forecasts of arrivals and space usage. Even pedestrians, via their smartphones, contribute to the flow of information that makes the city safer. It is as if the entire urban fabric had been transformed into a living neural network.

From pilot projects to the city’s nervous system

For policymakers and businesses alike, the message is clear: the edge is not a technological luxury, but a critical infrastructure. The pathway must be incremental. First, pilot projects in specific districts, testing how local intelligence manages deliveries and traffic. Then, scale across the entire city until a true urban nervous system emerges. This is not about adding more sensors or software. It is about rethinking mobility governance as an ecosystem that learns, evolves and reacts.

The near future

By 2030, we may look back and regard predictive logistics as the most profound urban revolution since the invention of the traffic light. No longer will people and businesses have to adapt to the rigidity of the city; instead, the city itself will adapt in real time to the needs of its citizens and the flow of goods. Distributed intelligence will render frictions invisible: no more vans blocking roads in double-parked lanes, no more cascading delays caused by unforeseen events. The city will not eliminate chaos, but it will render it manageable.

 In the next article we will turn to an even more delicate subject: who controls this data and how it is shared. Without common rules, trust and transparency, no distributed intelligence can truly succeed