Inmegacity characterization: Trends and realities

Purpose: In recent decades, there has been an important growth of Latin American cities; therefore, the demand for resources and services has increased for cities to function and meet the needs of their inhabitants. Latin American cities are growing rapidly and this process affects the quality of life of citizens. The purpose of this paper is to characterize the logistics of an area of the city of Lima, Peru; through the analysis of the practices of the last mile distribution, and in this way, contribute with information that can be used for decision-making and for the proposal of public policies that improve the efficiency of logistics operations in the area. Design/methodology/approach: Regarding the methodology applied, first, we identified the district to be analyzed using marketing information from the districts of Lima. Next, the authors collected information using forms following the methodology of the last Mile/Km2-MIT. Finally, the project planning finished in 15 days. Findings: It was found that most of the stores in the area are nanostores that sell diverse products, the community does not have parking lots or loading and unloading areas and the majority of deliveries are made to wholesalers and supermarkets. In addition, a relationship between business density and the traffic congestion was identified and taxis are the most widely used means of distribution of goods. Most of the streets do not have signage, they are mainly one-way and do not have exclusive routes for public transportation. Research limitations/implications: Due to not having georeference information about the specific stores location and statistics data about its suppliers, the research results may show a primarily scope. Based on the results, the authors are encouraged to do more research using data analytics as in the next steps. Practical implications: The paper reinforces the importance and challenge of working collaboration between suppliers, owners and local government. Social implications: The paper provides opportunities to create new policies, as well as an incentive plan for personal workers, suppliers and ecosolution proposals. Originality/value: Currently, as per the authors’ knowledge, there is no varied literature that characterizes and analyzes the logistic profile of the districts of Lima city and serves as a basis for the implementation of solutions and public policies.