The need for collective action. The value of transportation investments to economic development. The application of innovative data to improve curbside management.
Freight and logistics experts gathered on December 12, 2025, in Minneapolis to delve into those topics and more at the 28th Annual Freight and Logistics Symposium: Freight, Facilities, and the Future—Unpacking Innovative Land Use for Regional Growth. The symposium highlighted the importance of collaboration among public and private organizations in responding to increasing demand, supporting economic development, ensuring sustainability, and leveraging technology and innovative approaches.
Success through collective action
As one of the world’s most published and cited researchers in freight transportation, Jose Holguin-Veras shared examples of innovative approaches to urban freight delivery, including one designed to improve vehicle efficiency. In this case, a switch from day to nighttime delivery in Sao Paulo, Brazil, reduced emissions in the city by more than 60 percent.
When weighing new solutions for parking and loading management, freight demand, or freight-efficient land use, the key to success involves collective action. “Complex problems do not have magic bullets,” said Holguin-Veras, director of the Center for Infrastructure, Transportation, and the Environment at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. “We need to deploy holistic approaches.”
Fuel for economic growth
Through initiatives that include tax incentives, the Utah Inland Port Authority brings together local communities, state leaders, federal partners, and private industry to close gaps in Utah’s logistics system with rail connections, intermodal hubs, and industrial infrastructure. Investments in transportation networks help drive economic growth in the state, said Benjamin Hart, executive director of the Utah Inland Port Authority. “We need a statewide system that supports business growth, strengthens supply chains, and connects us to the world,” he said.
Improved curbside management
Thanks to a federal grant, Minneapolis has launched an initiative to improve curbside management in the city using improved data. The data, along with stakeholder feedback, is helping the city shape its curbside management policy and curbside action work plan.
Minneapolis will also benefit from funding for a stage two project of a data-driven approach across cities in partnership with Seattle. “We want to build on that spirit of collaboration,” said Dillon Fried, mobility and curbside manager for the City of Minneapolis.
Rail and port opportunities
As the first single-line railway connecting Canada, the U.S., and Mexico, CPKC continues to pursue growth, said Eric Goodman, managing director of business development and transload at CPKC. The firm has established its Site Ready Program, reviewing and classifying locations along its rail network that include turnkey and near turnkey properties for development.
Since 2015, the Port of Duluth-Superior has spent more than $50 million on infrastructure improvements. The largest port by tonnage on the Great Lakes, it operates as a multimodal logistics hub with four Class I railroads and easy access to highways. “We seek flexible supply chain solutions for our regional industries to keep them competitive in the global market,” said Kevin Beardsley, executive director of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority.
—Darlene Gorrill, contributing writer
