Urban Freight Lab

What Urban Freight Lab does

Urban Freight Lab (UFL) is a research laboratory within the University of Washington's College of Engineering, founded in 2016 in Seattle, WA. It conducts data-driven research on sustainable urban freight, last-mile delivery, curb management, and—more recently—community food security through micro-pantry networks. The lab serves as a collaborative catalyst, evaluator, and facilitator, convening a network of public-sector agencies (Seattle DOT, USDOT, NSF, DOE), private-sector companies (Amazon, Bosch e-Bikes, Gazelle, Michelin, Urban Arrow, Net Zero Logistics), and community organizations (food banks, Cascade Bicycle Club, Sustainable Connections, Ridwell) to design, pilot, and evaluate urban logistics solutions.

UFL's core technology stack centers on low-cost modular wireless sensor platforms (deployed at micro-pantries and curb locations), a parking occupancy application (OpenPark) for real-time commercial vehicle load-zone visibility, PantryMap.org for mapping and activity tracking of community pantries, Vehicle-to-Curb (V2C) permit digitization technology, and a city-scale dynamic curb-use simulation tool. Research outputs include peer-reviewed publications, white papers (e.g., 'Biking the Goods'), open datasets, and policy recommendations adopted by Seattle and disseminated via C40 Cities and Open Mobility Foundation collaborations.

The lab's revenue model is grant-funded rather than commercial. Funding flows from U.S. federal agencies (NSF, USDOT, DOE, HEI, NCHRP), industry sponsorships, and fee-for-service technical assistance to municipalities. Specific recent awards include a $700K NSF Civic Innovation Challenge Stage 2 grant (October 2025), an $800K HEI health-equity grant (October 2024), a $500K NCHRP Complete Streets grant (September 2024), and a $2.14M DOE Vehicle Technologies Office project (January 2020). The lab does not sell commercial software or services; research is funded through grants, sponsorships, and partnerships rather than direct customer payments. As of July 2026, Dr. Tom Maxner serves as Director, succeeding founder Dr. Anne Goodchild.

Name

Urban Freight Lab

Legal name

Urban Freight Lab

Website

https://urbanfreightlab.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Urban Freight Lab is a University of Washington research lab that conducts data-driven research on sustainable urban freight, last-mile delivery, curb management, and food security, serving city governments, federal agencies, logistics companies, and community organizations through sensor platforms and simulation tools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Urban Freight Research

NAICS

Other Support Activities for Transportation (4889)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Enforcement & Back-Office Violations Processing (Citations, Adjudication, Collections) (TLAJAKAI)

Keywords

• Urban freight research
• Last-mile delivery
• Curb management solutions
• Micro-pantry networks
• Sustainable logistics

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Research Grants and Funding: Primary funding from U.S. federal agencies including National Science Foundation (NSF), U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and state/local government agencies for specific research projects.
2. Industry Membership and Sponsorship: Funding from private sector companies including Amazon, Bosch e-Bikes, Fleet Cycles, Gazelle, Michelin, Urban Arrow, Net Zero Logistics, and others for specific research initiatives and pilot programs.
3. Technical Assistance Services: Fee-for-service technical assistance to government agencies and municipalities for planning and policy development.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Urban Freight Lab is an academic research laboratory at the University of Washington that conducts collaborative, data-driven research on urban freight and last-mile delivery. It develops sensor technologies, simulation tools, and policy recommendations covering curb management, e-cargo bike adoption, micro-pantry food distribution networks, and zero-emission urban logistics. Its research outputs include peer-reviewed publications, open-source tools (OpenPark, PantryMap.org), and evidence-based policy guidance for cities.

Product overview

Urban Freight Lab is a research organization at the University of Washington, not a commercial product company. It serves as a catalyst, evaluator, and facilitator for collaborative urban freight solutions. The Lab does not offer commercial software products or services but conducts research in areas including last-mile delivery, curb management, sustainable freight, micro-pantry networks, and zero-emission logistics. Research outputs include publications, tools, datasets, and policy recommendations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Urban Freight Lab (UFL): Primary research laboratory brand within UW College of Engineering focused on urban freight and sustainable logistics research

Products and services

• Urban Freight Lab Research Services Collaborative urban freight research services that bring together private and public sector stakeholders to advance last-mile delivery and sustainable urban logistics solutions through data-driven research, sensor deployments, policy analysis, and technical assistance for governments and municipalities.
• Common Microhub (Seattle Neighborhood Delivery Hub) A research and pilot project testing urban logistics strategies in Seattle's Uptown neighborhood, evaluating sustainable delivery approaches including zero-emission last-mile delivery vehicles and microhub-based logistics models for urban environments.
• Biking the Goods A research project and white paper examining how North American cities can prepare for and promote large-scale adoption of e-cargo bikes for urban goods delivery, developed in collaboration with bike industry brands and city stakeholders.
• Connected Micro-Pantry Network An NSF-funded research project deploying wireless sensor platforms to create a cyber-physical network of connected micro-pantries that complements traditional hunger relief organizations as a reliable system for hyper-local food redistribution in Seattle.

Quantifiable outcome

• Identified 275 active micro-pantries in Seattle distributing estimated 4 million pounds of food annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing research partner on curb management, commercial vehicle load zones, parking studies, and digital permit systems. Joint recipient of USDOT SMART grants for curb space digitalization.
• Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & EngineeringcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUW academic department collaborating on wireless sensing technologies for food safety monitoring and micro-pantry condition tracking. Provides technical expertise for sensor platform development.
• Cascade Bicycle ClubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner using routing tools and data to expand Pedaling Relief Project's food delivery and micro-pantry operations. Volunteers deliver rescued food across Seattle via bicycle.
• RidwellcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSeattle-based recycling startup piloting household food collection with subscribers and redistributing rescued food through project's micro-pantry network.
• Washington State Department of HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner using project data to inform evidence-based food safety standards for mutual aid organizations and refrigerated micro-pantries.
• University District Food BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerApplying project tools to expand safe, efficient distribution of rescued food through its delivery and micro-pantry networks.
• Sustainable ConnectionssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit partner testing and evaluating food rescue technologies and methods through its Community Freedges program.
• Open Mobility FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on SMART Grant Curb Collaborative supporting nine cities in tackling curb management challenges. UFL leads research initiatives and contributes academic content.
• CityfisupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPrime contractor and consulting partner on various projects including revenue strategies for new mobility options and Zero-Emission Zones research.
• C40 CitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium of cities with collective goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Seattle is signatory to Zero Emission Area Programme requiring zero-emission zones by 2030.
• Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in City Climate Innovation Challenge developing tools and strategies to help U.S. cities implement and scale zero-emissions delivery solutions.
• School of Public Health, UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health SciencescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultidisciplinary UW partners providing expertise in food safety compliance guidelines and community health impact assessment for micro-pantry networks.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• StreetLight Data: Transportation analytics vendor serving planners with mobility and freight data—comparable to UFL's city-scale freight-data analyses but commercialized and broadly deployed across U.S. metros.

Others

• RMI (Rocky Mountain Institute): Independent research and policy organization working on transportation electrification and urban freight decarbonization—thematically aligned with UFL's zero-emission delivery and freight decarbonization research.
• NACTO: National Association of City Transportation Officials—publishes design guidance for curb space and Complete Streets that intersects with UFL's NCHRP-funded Complete Streets freight research.
• C40 Cities: Global network of cities focused on climate action—UFL is an active research collaborator with C40 on zero-emission delivery zones and shares the climate-aligned urban freight agenda.

Direct peers

• MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics: Academic research center focused on supply chain, logistics, and urban freight—structurally analogous to UFL as a university-based research lab producing peer-reviewed urban freight research and policy outputs.
• Automotus: Computer-vision curb management platform used by cities to monitor commercial vehicle load zone occupancy—comparable to UFL's commercial-vehicle parking and load-zone research and pilot deployments.
• Coord: Curb management data and API platform (acquired by Uber) that helps cities digitize commercial vehicle load zones and parking—directly overlapping UFL's OpenPark and Vehicle-to-Curb (V2C) work with SDOT.
• Georgia Tech Supply Chain and Logistics Institute: University research institute conducting freight, logistics, and last-mile delivery research—comparable scope and academic positioning to UFL's urban freight research program at UW.

Emerging players

• Populus: Mobility data platform helping cities manage streets, curb space, and micromobility—overlapping with UFL's curb-management data work for municipal clients like SDOT.
• Stae: Digital infrastructure platform for cities to integrate transportation, permitting, and curb data—adjacent to UFL's open-data and digital-permit work on commercial vehicle load zones.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/urbanfreightlab
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@urban-freight-lab
• Facebookfacebook.com/urbanfreightlab
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/urban-freight-lab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Urban Freight Lab