Actual Logistics-Spatial Requirements and Challenges for Regional Development

The importance of logistics has increased during the last few years. Globalization and international division of labour have helped to integrate global supply chains. So distribution centers and depots of small package service have spread across the country. Their spatial impact is very high, concerning traffic as well as land consumption or catchment area of jobs. But in spatial planning logistics does not matter. This text is trying to explain the different fields of logistics, the link between logistics and international supply chains and the consequences for the placement of logistic centers. For different fields in market different profiles on locations are explained. Those locations are often subject to rapid change. Often the time between the first idea for a logistic center and the planned date for its opening is short as well. This text is trying to show how spatial planning can manage logistics settlements. This meets interests of spatial planning and industry: Spatial planning e.g. can find a way to reduce land consumption or bundle traffic. Investors profit because a location that is part of a spatial of land use plan offers to opportunity for a fast project realization.