ArticlePloS one2025
Systematic transformation of urban cold chain networks: From cross-regional dependencies to sustainable local excellence.
Article in PloS one, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
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Abstract
Urban agglomerations in developing regions face cascading inefficiencies in cold chain logistics, driven by structural dependencies on cross-regional distribution that generate excessive costs, carbon emissions, and quality deterioration. This study develops and empirically validates a systematic transformation framework that utilizes hierarchical optimization to reconfigure these inefficient networks into integrated, sustainable local systems. Our approach coordinates strategic facility location with operational vehicle routing, enabling emergent, system-level improvements that transcend conventional optimization. Empirical validation using 35 supermarket stores in the Hohhot-Baotou-Ordos-Ulanqab (HBOU) urban agglomeration demonstrates substantial, concurrent outcomes under practical conditions: a 44.1% reduction in both cost and carbon emissions, and a 21.9% enhancement in product freshness. Statistical analysis confirms high significance (p < 0.001), with a resulting Transformation Effectiveness Coefficient of 1.34, signifying a paradigm-level improvement. The framework reveals that apparent trade-offs between economic, environmental, and service objectives can be systematically resolved through strategic network reconfiguration. These findings advance urban logistics transformation theory by providing a reproducible, data-driven framework for designing sustainable distribution systems, offering significant policy and practical implications for comparable urban contexts globally.
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