Urban logistics center location selection: Fruits and vegetables market hall application

In urban areas, it has a vital importance to deliver the products, which are necessary for people to survive, effectively to the desired points. In order to make the deliveries effectively the distribution networks must be designed properly. In this distribution network, the urban distribution centers have an important position. To find out the urban distribution centers locations truely will satisfy to determine the number of used vehicles, to decrease the traffic congestion by determining the routes of vehicles correctly and thus to decrease the environmental effects like noise and emmision. Determining the urban distribution centers locations problem has become more critical by the population growth and demands. The fresh fruits and vegetables supply chain is an important chain to fulfill the food requirements of people. To distribute fruits and vegetables effectively, the fresh fruits and vegetables market halls, which are the special type of urban distribution centers, must be examined carefully. In this thesis, fresh fruits and vegetables market hall location determination problem is investigated. To solve the problem, mixed integer linear programming models are developed. In these models, cost, time and carbondioxide emmision criteria are taken into consideration and the aim of these models are to minimize total cost, time and carbondioxide emmision. The fuzzy parameters are used to take into account the uncertainty of some parameters. In addition, the effect of traffic congestion on cost, time and carbondioxide emmision are analysed. To solve total cost, total time and total carbondioxide emmision minimization goals together, the goal programming technique is used. In the last stage, to decrease the difficulty in determining the aspiration levels, the fuzzy goal programming technique is used and the tolerances in aspiration levels are taken into account. The models are solved to determine the most appropriate fresh fruits and vegetables market hall location for Istanbul. Lots of scenarios are produced and the results are reported and analyzed. The sensitivity analysis is implemented and the sensitivity of constraints are assessed for the determined locations. Consequently, it is identified that the porducts will be transported from which fruits and vegetables market hall to which market and the most appropriate fruits and vegetables market hall location for Istanbul is determined. As a result of the study, constructing new fruits and vegetables market halls in different locations in Istanbul will be more suitable.