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Cities are always changing, evolving as the business and cultural landscape of the country moves forwards.
Look at the London skyline now compared to the turn of the 21st century, with buildings like The Shard, the Gherkin and the Walkie Talkie transforming the landscape – so much so they have their own well-known nicknames.
It’s not just the capital, cities like Birmingham have evolved from industrial towns full of factories and warehouses, to financial hubs or service industry centres.
As cities evolve, and legislation tightens, logistics is key to ensuring a project can be completed on deadline, without disruption to the city’s economy, or to the people who live and work there.
Here, we take a look at the importance of logistics in any urban infrastructure development and some ways to ensure a project is a success.
Logistics plans
In a city, time is money – and any disruption caused can cost the local and UK economy millions of pounds of lost revenue.
Projects need to be completed quickly and efficiently to avoid denting the city’s purse, as well as keeping the costs of the project low.
Effective logistics are vital to any successful project, getting the right materials and the right personnel in one place to get the job done.
This feeds into the project’s workflow – as having work take place in a well-planned order helps speed up delivery and keep costs down.
Suppliers
Finding the right suppliers, contractors and personnel is vital to any urban infrastructure project.
Reliable and trustworthy suppliers are crucial for an infrastructure project’s workflow and help keep projects within deadline and to limit disruption.
Local suppliers can be even better as they boost the local community and cut down on important carbon and transport costs.
Traffic management, noise reduction and health and safety
Cities and towns pose extra challenges with the need for effective traffic management, not just for access to the site, but to ensure the safety of the public and your staff.
Transport is the lifeblood of a city or town, getting people from one place to another, from work to home – and an infrastructure project needs to be carefully planned to limit its impact.
Construction noise is another big issue in any large-scale project. Our own research revealed eight out of ten Londoners have been negatively affected by construction noise at least once in the last year.
Limiting noise during certain times of the day and using noise mitigation measures can limit the impact on the community and avoid complaints from those who live nearby.
Health and safety is also paramount, and this is even more important in the construction industry when the stakes are so high.
Good health and safety planning keeps contractors and workers safe, as well as limiting any disruption accidents could bring.
How Urban Thinking we can help
At Urban Thinking, we can support infrastructure project developers with their logistics, help find the right suppliers and contractors for the job and ensure traffic management, noise reduction and the health and safety on site are at the highest level.
For more on our services, see www.urbanthinking.com/project-planning
