Spatial variability and accessibility of collection and delivery points in Nanjing, China

Abstract

Collection and delivery points are an alternative to home delivery and represent an important opportunity to reduce delivery failures in urban areas. As online shopping has become increasingly popular, different accessibility modes such as walking, cycling, and driving are considered for the collection of parcels at collection and delivery points (CDPs). The primary objective of the present study was to assess the spatial variability and accessibility of CDPs in Nanjing City, China. The point of interest (POI) data of 1224 CDPs (including 424 China Post Stations and 800 Cainiao Stations), and population and gross domestic product data were employed for the spatial analysis. The results showed that China Post Stations and Cainiao Stations were distributed in Nanjing as clusters at α = 0.01. Both types (51.1% China Post Stations and 63.2% Cainiao Stations) of CDPs were aggregated in the high population density areas. Moreover, 28.0% of China Post Stations and 50.9% of Cainiao Stations were located in high GDP density areas. The overall spatial distribution of China Post Stations in population and GDP density areas was medium, while that of the Cainiao Stations was high. There was a significant correlation between the spatial distribution of the CDPs, population, and GDP. There were significant spatial accessibility differences to CDPs among different accessibility modes like walking, cycling, and driving. Walking and cycling mode accessibility to China Post Stations and Cainiao Stations were 13.8 and 25.3% and 9.2 and 28.9%, respectively while 71.8% of China Post Stations and 71.1% of Cainiao Stations were accessed by driving. The findings of this study would be beneficial for policymakers and practitioners to develop related policies, to assist companies in building up more sustainable urban logistics and a booming CDPs’ network in the future.