Urban distribution centers: Doomed to fail or optimal solutions for last mile deliveries?

The Urban Distribution (or Consolidation) Centers (CDU) are one of the available solutions for the last mile logistics that have gained greater interest in both academic and transportation corporate fields. Despite the widespread of the projects involving CDUs, only few of them are recognized as effective over the years. In this paper, through a case survey methodology, we identified the common elements of successful projects and aspects that have instead caused their failure; the final aim is to identify best practices and common mistakes in developing a new urban distribution center project.