Smart and Flexible Curbside Management
by Paola Astegiano, FIT Consulting, DISCO Project Coordinator03 March 20266 min read
DISCO is an ongoing innovation action project co-funded by the European Commission and coordinated by FIT Consulting, focused on upscaling urban logistics and smart planning. It aims to accelerate the transition to decarbonized and digital cities by changing the logistics paradigm through a Physical Internet (PI)-led approach. PI seeks to transform the way physical objects are moved, stored, supplied, and used, ultimately pursuing global logistics efficiency and sustainability.
The concept behind DISCO draws inspiration from the music
industry, which has already undergone a full transition from
vinyl to streaming, facilitated by metadata platforms capable of sharing royalties, services, and music as an end-to-end commodity. Similarly, through a data-driven “cloud” approach, cities can actively manage infrastructure usage by accessing real-time data, avoiding costly investments, and optimizing land use through proactive infrastructure access control, thereby reducing congestion and overuse. DISCO is deploying a demonstration involving four Starring Living Labs and four Twinning Living Labs, with a package of 23 innovation measures across five DISCO-X innovations, categorized into digital, physical, and business layers. The DISCO-X measures (X = Curb, Proxi, Bay, Estate, and Collection) utilize sensor-enabled infrastructures and Physical Internet collaboration protocols to efficiently allocate city infrastructure, demonstrating the value of dynamic infrastructure management.
This article focuses specifically on the “DISCOCURB” innovation, which enables the smart and flexible use of curbside space for parking slots, pickup points, and network management. DISCOCURB represents a data-driven, technology-enabled, and dynamic approach to curbside management that enhances land use allocation while leveraging advanced data analytics and digital tools. At least four Living Labs will implement curbside management measures, with Copenhagen and Helsinki currently at the most advanced stage.
Copenhagen’s Approach to Smart Curbside Management
Copenhagen has set an ambitious goal of becoming carbon-neutral by 2025, requiring a strategic shift towards sustainable urban planning and smart mobility solutions. Implementing smart curbside management is essential to streamline logistics, enhance urban efficiency, and improve liveability while supporting economic growth. A pilot project has been launched in the area around Tivoli Gardens, a central amusement park facing constant logistical challenges due to its high number of visitors. Limited parking and loading zones complicate the management of delivery trucks, service vehicles, and tourist buses. Additionally, construction work at the main delivery entry has further exacerbated these challenges, presenting a unique opportunity to test new solutions. The city is working with Coding the Curbs, a startup specializing in curbside management, to transform (un)loading bays into Smart Zones – digital and multifunctional spaces that can be easily reserved by logistics companies, local businesses, and drivers. Outside peak logistics hours, these Smart Zones can be repurposed for car parking, recreation, or shared mobility.
The solution comprises three key components:
• A user-friendly booking platform, enabling users to reserve
Smart Zones in advance or on-site via a QR code.
• On-street smart signs, displaying real-time zone availability, sup-
porting ad-hoc bookings, and indicating zone functions.
• Sensors, detecting vehicles, providing real-time occupancy data,
and supporting enforcement mechanisms.
As the designated location at Tivoli Gardens was smaller than the
previous logistics area, implementing digital Smart Zones allowed
for better space management. The city also installed sensors to track parking occupancy and report violations to local enforcement authorities. The pilot is currently in the evaluation phase, with key learnings including: location is critical, stakeholders are more likely
to engage when there is a clear logistical need; ongoing stakeholder engagement is essential, maintaining regular contact in the local language helps address concerns and anticipate issues; flexibility is key, digital solutions allow for necessary adjustments based on local conditions.
Current analyses are assessing the impact of seasonality in such
locations. When the amusement park is closed, these parking slots
could potentially serve other purposes, maximizing space utilization.
Helsinki’s Data-Driven Approach
Helsinki is focusing on producing data that helps planners under-
stand how loading zones are used, where they should be located, and how street space is utilized for loading and unloading – in cluding identifying potential safety hazards. To achieve this, the city
is installing different types of monitoring equipment across multiple
loading zones with the following objectives:
• Data collection: Measuring the number and type of vehicles, as
well as their stopping patterns, to support traffic planning.
• Testing sensor technologies: Evaluating various sensor and cam-
era-based solutions, prioritizing movable and easy-to-install
equipment that does not require a fixed power supply.
• Providing real-time information: Offering real-time loading zone
occupancy data via a dedicated app, enabling drivers to optimize
their daily operations. A survey will be conducted to assess wheth-
er drivers find this information beneficial.
Additionally, Helsinki is exploring the use of Floating Car Data
(FCD) to gain insights into vehicle movement patterns, identifying
where trucks and light commercial vehicles (LCVs) drive, stop, and
operate. The hypothesis is that FCD can help planners determine optimal locations for new loading zones, identify areas with heavy traffic but inadequate facilities, and analyze the main routes used by LCVs and trucks.
Future Implementations in Barcelona and Padua
In the coming months, Barcelona and Padua will initiate their own
DISCOCURB implementations. Barcelona will deploy CCTV cameras in 12 designated DUM (Distribución Urbana de Mercancías) zones, capturing real-time freight vehicle data. Advanced deep learning models will analyze video feeds to detect and track parked vehicles and extract license plate information. This data will be integrated with an existing city app used to reserve and assign DUM parking slots, providing a comprehensive overview of urban logistics patterns.
Padua will implement an on-demand system for loading/unload-
ing stalls to accommodate dynamic lockers. Space will be booked through a dedicated webpage, enabling flexible curbside allocation
for both dynamic lockers and traditional logistics operations.
As final remark, the DISCOCURB innovation is demonstrating how cities can leverage data-driven strategies to enhance curbside management, making urban logistics more efficient, sustainable, and adaptable. With the integration of smart technologies, dynamic reservation systems, and real-time data analytics, cities like Copenhagen, Helsinki, Barcelona, and Padua are setting new benchmarks in curbside optimization. As the project progresses, insights from these pilots will help refine urban logistics strategies, ensuring that city infrastructure remains responsive to evolving mobility needs while supporting sustainability and economic growth.
Anyone interested in being kept informed is welcome to register
for the newsletter through the DISCO website and can also follow the project’s developments, events and regular webinars via LinkedIn. It is equally worth noting that a DISCO Knowledge hub has been created which offers several useful resources.
The DISCO project will also be featured at EPA’s Conference in
Brussels this September.
industry, which has already undergone a full transition from
vinyl to streaming, facilitated by metadata platforms capable of sharing royalties, services, and music as an end-to-end commodity. Similarly, through a data-driven “cloud” approach, cities can actively manage infrastructure usage by accessing real-time data, avoiding costly investments, and optimizing land use through proactive infrastructure access control, thereby reducing congestion and overuse. DISCO is deploying a demonstration involving four Starring Living Labs and four Twinning Living Labs, with a package of 23 innovation measures across five DISCO-X innovations, categorized into digital, physical, and business layers. The DISCO-X measures (X = Curb, Proxi, Bay, Estate, and Collection) utilize sensor-enabled infrastructures and Physical Internet collaboration protocols to efficiently allocate city infrastructure, demonstrating the value of dynamic infrastructure management.
This article focuses specifically on the “DISCOCURB” innovation, which enables the smart and flexible use of curbside space for parking slots, pickup points, and network management. DISCOCURB represents a data-driven, technology-enabled, and dynamic approach to curbside management that enhances land use allocation while leveraging advanced data analytics and digital tools. At least four Living Labs will implement curbside management measures, with Copenhagen and Helsinki currently at the most advanced stage.
Copenhagen’s Approach to Smart Curbside Management
Copenhagen has set an ambitious goal of becoming carbon-neutral by 2025, requiring a strategic shift towards sustainable urban planning and smart mobility solutions. Implementing smart curbside management is essential to streamline logistics, enhance urban efficiency, and improve liveability while supporting economic growth. A pilot project has been launched in the area around Tivoli Gardens, a central amusement park facing constant logistical challenges due to its high number of visitors. Limited parking and loading zones complicate the management of delivery trucks, service vehicles, and tourist buses. Additionally, construction work at the main delivery entry has further exacerbated these challenges, presenting a unique opportunity to test new solutions. The city is working with Coding the Curbs, a startup specializing in curbside management, to transform (un)loading bays into Smart Zones – digital and multifunctional spaces that can be easily reserved by logistics companies, local businesses, and drivers. Outside peak logistics hours, these Smart Zones can be repurposed for car parking, recreation, or shared mobility.
The solution comprises three key components:
• A user-friendly booking platform, enabling users to reserve
Smart Zones in advance or on-site via a QR code.
• On-street smart signs, displaying real-time zone availability, sup-
porting ad-hoc bookings, and indicating zone functions.
• Sensors, detecting vehicles, providing real-time occupancy data,
and supporting enforcement mechanisms.
As the designated location at Tivoli Gardens was smaller than the
previous logistics area, implementing digital Smart Zones allowed
for better space management. The city also installed sensors to track parking occupancy and report violations to local enforcement authorities. The pilot is currently in the evaluation phase, with key learnings including: location is critical, stakeholders are more likely
to engage when there is a clear logistical need; ongoing stakeholder engagement is essential, maintaining regular contact in the local language helps address concerns and anticipate issues; flexibility is key, digital solutions allow for necessary adjustments based on local conditions.
Current analyses are assessing the impact of seasonality in such
locations. When the amusement park is closed, these parking slots
could potentially serve other purposes, maximizing space utilization.
Helsinki’s Data-Driven Approach
Helsinki is focusing on producing data that helps planners under-
stand how loading zones are used, where they should be located, and how street space is utilized for loading and unloading – in cluding identifying potential safety hazards. To achieve this, the city
is installing different types of monitoring equipment across multiple
loading zones with the following objectives:
• Data collection: Measuring the number and type of vehicles, as
well as their stopping patterns, to support traffic planning.
• Testing sensor technologies: Evaluating various sensor and cam-
era-based solutions, prioritizing movable and easy-to-install
equipment that does not require a fixed power supply.
• Providing real-time information: Offering real-time loading zone
occupancy data via a dedicated app, enabling drivers to optimize
their daily operations. A survey will be conducted to assess wheth-
er drivers find this information beneficial.
Additionally, Helsinki is exploring the use of Floating Car Data
(FCD) to gain insights into vehicle movement patterns, identifying
where trucks and light commercial vehicles (LCVs) drive, stop, and
operate. The hypothesis is that FCD can help planners determine optimal locations for new loading zones, identify areas with heavy traffic but inadequate facilities, and analyze the main routes used by LCVs and trucks.
Future Implementations in Barcelona and Padua
In the coming months, Barcelona and Padua will initiate their own
DISCOCURB implementations. Barcelona will deploy CCTV cameras in 12 designated DUM (Distribución Urbana de Mercancías) zones, capturing real-time freight vehicle data. Advanced deep learning models will analyze video feeds to detect and track parked vehicles and extract license plate information. This data will be integrated with an existing city app used to reserve and assign DUM parking slots, providing a comprehensive overview of urban logistics patterns.
Padua will implement an on-demand system for loading/unload-
ing stalls to accommodate dynamic lockers. Space will be booked through a dedicated webpage, enabling flexible curbside allocation
for both dynamic lockers and traditional logistics operations.
As final remark, the DISCOCURB innovation is demonstrating how cities can leverage data-driven strategies to enhance curbside management, making urban logistics more efficient, sustainable, and adaptable. With the integration of smart technologies, dynamic reservation systems, and real-time data analytics, cities like Copenhagen, Helsinki, Barcelona, and Padua are setting new benchmarks in curbside optimization. As the project progresses, insights from these pilots will help refine urban logistics strategies, ensuring that city infrastructure remains responsive to evolving mobility needs while supporting sustainability and economic growth.
Anyone interested in being kept informed is welcome to register
for the newsletter through the DISCO website and can also follow the project’s developments, events and regular webinars via LinkedIn. It is equally worth noting that a DISCO Knowledge hub has been created which offers several useful resources.
The DISCO project will also be featured at EPA’s Conference in
Brussels this September.
