METRANS | MetroFreight
ABOUT
Back
ABOUT
About METRANS
Key Personnel
METRANS Advisory Board
CENTERS
Back
CENTERS
Pacific Southwest Region UTC
Back
Pacific Southwest Region UTC
About PSR
Key Personnel
Advisory Council
Research Overview
Research Database
Education
Outreach
Events
News & Announcements
Progress Reports
METRANS Tier 1 UTC
Back
METRANS Tier 1 UTC
About METRANS Tier 1 UTC
Key Personnel
Publications
Research
Education
Outreach
News & Announcements
MetroFreight
Back
MetroFreight
About MetroFreight
Key Personnel
Publications
Research Overview
Research Database
Education
Outreach
News & Announcements
UrbanFreight Curriculum Database
NCST
Back
NCST
About NCST
Research Overview
Research Database
Education
Outreach
News & Announcements
SWTWC
University Partnership Program
RESEARCH
Back
RESEARCH
Research Overview
Resources for Current Grantees
Research Projects
Researchers
EDUCATION
Back
EDUCATION
EDUCATION INTRODUCTION
MEDIA
Back
MEDIA
Outreach Introduction
News
METRANS Newsletter
EVENTS
Back
EVENTS
Events
Seminars
Town Hall
2025 I-NUF
INUF Archives
Back
INUF Archives
2022 Overview
2019 Papers and Presentations
2019 Conference Highlights & Photos
2022 INUF Presentations
IAME 2023
2022 I-NUF
2019 I-NUF
MEMBERSHIP
Back
MEMBERSHIP
METRANS Associates Program
ABOUT
About METRANS
Key Personnel
METRANS Advisory Board
CENTERS
Pacific Southwest Region UTC
About PSR
Key Personnel
Advisory Council
Research Overview
Research Database
Education
Outreach
Events
News & Announcements
Progress Reports
METRANS Tier 1 UTC
About METRANS Tier 1 UTC
Key Personnel
Publications
Research
Education
Outreach
News & Announcements
MetroFreight
About MetroFreight
Key Personnel
Publications
Research Overview
Research Database
Education
Outreach
News & Announcements
UrbanFreight Curriculum Database
NCST
About NCST
Research Overview
Research Database
Education
Outreach
News & Announcements
SWTWC
University Partnership Program
RESEARCH
Research Overview
Resources for Current Grantees
Research Projects
Researchers
EDUCATION
EDUCATION INTRODUCTION
MEDIA
Outreach Introduction
News
METRANS Newsletter
EVENTS
Events
Seminars
Town Hall
2025 I-NUF
INUF Archives
2022 Overview
2019 Papers and Presentations
2019 Conference Highlights & Photos
2022 INUF Presentations
IAME 2023
2022 I-NUF
2019 I-NUF
MEMBERSHIP
METRANS Associates Program
MetroFreight
Stop the Video
MetroFreight
MetroFreight
About MetroFreight
Key Personnel
Publications
Research Overview
Research Database
Education
Outreach
News & Announcements
UrbanFreight Curriculum Database
Freight movement is essential for the functioning of metropolitan areas, yet it generates congestion, air pollution, noise, and greenhouse gas emissions.  Due to complex and globalized supply chains, changing consumer and business preferences, and the rise of e-commerce, the volume of freight moving within and across metropolitan areas is increasing around the world.
Solving urban freight problems is challenging for three reasons.  First, traditional approaches to urban sustainability take little account of freight, and basic sustainability principles – mixed land use, higher density development, emphasis on public transport and non-motorized modes – are in conflict with efficient freight movement.  Second, freight famously “has no borders,” as metro areas are part of the global economic network.  Local governments have little influence on the basic drivers of freight flows, yet local communities bear many of the associated problems.  Third, national governments determine trade policy, and often have jurisdictional authority on commercial freight, further limiting local government authority. MetroFreight seeks to develop innovative strategies to manage urban freight and its impacts that are transferable to metropolitan areas around the world.
MetroFreight (MF) is  led by the METRANS Transportation Consortium and housed at the University of Southern California.  The consortium members include:
METRANS Transportation Consortium, a two university multidisciplinary transportation research center comprised of USC and California State University, Long Beach;
University Transportation Research Center (URTC), a consortium of 17 universities in the New York Region, housed at City College of New York (CCNY);
French Institute of Science and Technology for Transport, Development and Networks (IFFSTAR) at University of Paris-Est, in Paris;
Korea Transport Institute (KOTI) in Seoul.
MetroFreight is a
Volvo Research and Educational Foundations Center of Excellence (CoE)
It was established in 2013 as a CoE on urban freight, and is one of ten VREF CoEs in five regions of the world.
The VREF CoE offers the opportunity to build a large scale, international research enterprise on urban freight, using the VREF funding to leverage support from other grants and contributions.
MetroFreight is structured as a long-term program of research, education and dissemination.
We seek to understand the drivers of urban freight flows, as well as the nature of the problems they generate.
We seek to develop solutions that are collaborative and integrative with larger sustainability goals.
We have organized the CoE as an academic/practitioner partnership, with non-academic partners engaged in all aspects of CoE activities.
The MetroFreight team is multidisciplinary, with particular strength in planning and public policy.
We focus on a small number of case study metro areas – Los Angeles, New York, Paris, and Seoul – using a comparative case study approach.
A cornerstone of VREF policy is that the research shall aim to influence the development of transportation systems that are sustainable and accessible for all.  Therefore, the connections to education and stakeholders in each local environment are important aspects of planned research programs.
Vision and Mission
Our vision is to become the global leader in urban freight research, education and outreach, establishing urban freight as a recognized field of international study, building a global network of scholars, and contributing more broadly by widely disseminating data, information, results, and education materials.
Our mission is to develop solutions for urban freight problems that are collaborative and integrative with larger sustainability goals.
Latest News
METRANS to Lead Four Webinars on International Transportation Planning
USC Doctoral Student Wendy Zhou Awarded the 40th Annual Charles M. Tiebout Prize in Regional Science
READ MORE NEWS »
Upcoming Events
2026 National Mobility Summit: Advancing the Movement of People and Goods
READ MORE EVENTS »
Recent Research
Disability, Mode Perceptions, and Travel Behavior
READ MORE RESEARCH »
About Metrans
Centers
Research
Education
Outreach
Membership
News & Events
Privacy and Policies
Accessiblity
Major Funders
Metrans Associate Partners
Sign Up For Our Newsletter
Click Here to Sign Up
Copyright ©2026 METRANS. All Rights Reserved.
Volatile Studios