In recent years the European Commission has increasingly focused its attention on the development of sustainable city logistics by promulgating legislation and formal directives. Despite the efforts made, reducing freight-related congestion and polluting emissions without penalising social and economic activities within cities is still a challenging issue. City logistics measures frequently fail mainly due to a lack of support and commitment from stakeholders. A participatory approach in freight transport planning represents a reasonable and valuable option. This paper describes the innovative governance model developed in the city of Turin in Italy that was based on a proactive and effective stakeholders’ cooperation for achieving a resilient urban development. The added value of the paper also relates to the real-life assessment of the impacts the non-mandatory policy-mix implemented, based on a collaborative governance model, have on the environment and service delivery thus providing a realistic measure of the viability and effectiveness of the solution proposed. Its voluntary adoption, in fact, produces an increase in commercial vehicles’ speed and a substantial reduction in CO2 emissions while also allowing logistic service providers to perform more deliveries.
