Imports and Exports

Goal: find as much information as you can on the import, export, wholesale and retail flows of the 11 construction and/or 12 biomass materials and add those to the sublayers of 3.6. Imports and exports with the usual upload and tagging procedure.

Imports and exports

Try to find data on the 11 construction and/or 12 biomass materials related goods and materials that are imported into and exported out of the territory/city. Look for transport or freight statistics, and try to find what the most detailed level of available information is. You may need to consult an industry expert. It can also help to consider the various types transport flows:

  • Road (light, heavy)
  • Rail
  • River/Maritime
  • Air

Note: In the video, there is a reference made to electricity and water, but this is NOT applicable to CityLoops.

Outline of the video

  • Key part in our work
  • Relates to all materials and products that are brought from outside of the city to the city.
  • Fundamental work, because a vast amount of materials are imported and exported
  • What are they, where do they come from, how do they move
  • How does it happen: something crosses the city boundaries. We can consider how it crosses that. For example, by land with trucks or rail, by water with ships, by air with planes.
  • Freight by train is more likely to be bulk materials (grain, coal).
  • More hidden: transport by pipeline. (Water, gas)
  • M5:33 overview
    • Highly relevant to all flows
    • Urban boundaries highly porous --> difficult to get numbers
    • Freight statistics are key
    • Transport-mode (TM) based vs. commodity-based (CB) approach
      • TM: quantify everything that goes by rail or by pipeline; tracks it by activity
      • CB: track all petroleum and look at various modes.
      • Practical to take one approach and then add things up.
      • Choice of approach is dependent on the data that is out there.
    • There is also imports and exports of energy
  • M9:37, examples
    • South African ports
  • M11:17, sources
    • Statistical agencies
    • Freight data agencies
    • Studies
    • Relevant governing bodies
    • Keywords: freight statistics, imports and exports + city name

Wholesale and retail

Try to find data on wholesale and retail amounts, either directly in weight (tonnes, kg) or in monetary value, although tonnes would be preferred. There are usually not that many wholesalers, so it can be worthwhile to look them up and find their annual reports or ask them directly for data. As for retail, there is often an association of retailers that can have the data.

Outline of the video

  • In imports and exports there is the act of transporting merchandise in and out of the city, but it also needs to be considered where that comes from and where it goes.
  • Wholesale and retail is something important to look for.
  • Beyond looking for transportation weight, also look at places that sell materials e.g. construction or food materials.
  • M1:44, What you need to do is figure out WHO sells in your city. You can look at their annual reports.
  • If you know that it doesn't come from a local source, then it is safe to assume that it has been imported.
  • For exports, you need to look at logistics companies to know what is moved "out".
  • M2:38, As for retail, you already know the big companies that do wholesale. There are usually a couple of them. Ideally, you have this information subdivided by material.
  • M3:47, Examples