Design of Sustainable Supply Chains for Sustainable Cities

Supply chains provide the critical infrastructure for the production and distribution of goods and services in our network economy and serve as the conduits for the manufacturing, transportation, and consumption of products ranging from food, clothing, automobiles, and high-technology products, to healthcare products. Cities as major population centers serve not only as the principal demand points but also as the locations of many of the distribution and storage facilities, transportation providers, and even manufacturers. In this paper a new model is developed for the design of sustainable supply chains with a focus on cities that captures the frequency of network link operations, which is especially relevant to cities due to frequent freight deliveries. The model is also related to recent literature on this subject. The goal is to demonstrate how, through the proper design (and operation) of these complex networks, waste can be reduced, along with the environmental impacts, while minimizing operational and frequency costs, and meeting demand.