Spatial patterns and investments in warehouses

The shipments of goods need places to be organized from, and the familiar word of ‘warehouse’ now covers a diverse population of logistics facilities, with different functions and sizes, supported by increasingly sophisticated technologies, and new architectural features. Logistics facilities have rapidly increased in number and size, around and within metropolitan areas. The chapter looks at different examples around the world and makes comparative analyses. It provides a focus on a niche market of urban warehouses, from micro-hubs to large logistics hotels. The spatial organization of freight facilities primarily responds to real estate market forces, generating both positive and negative externalities. Responding to the market dynamism, and its externalities, regional master plans and local zoning ordinances take logistics development into account. Indicators and tools are proposed for a more efficient and sustainable accommodation of logistics into cities. The chapter also identifies new types of regulations that drive the logistics real estate market in new directions: vertical development to reduce land take, and energy production or agriculture on rooftops.