![Sogaris Urban Logistic Zone, Marseilles | The Geography of Transport Systems](https://i0.wp.com/transportgeography.org/wp-content/uploads/sogaris_marseille.jpg?resize=776%2C582&ssl=1)
Photo: Dr. Daniel Boudoin.
Like several large urban agglomerations, Marseilles has real estate constraints leaving limited availability for land to be used for urban freight distribution. In such a context, enterprises involved in freight distribution were electing sites further away from the city center, exacerbating congestion. To mitigate this issue (logistics sprawl) SOGARIS, a major manager of distribution centers and logistics zones, in partnership with SNCF (the French national railway company), developed a logistic zone on a highly accessible site adjacent to the port, with good road and public transit accessibility and with rail connectivity. The 9-hectare brownfield site located about 2 km from downtown Marseilles was built on land owned by SNCF (part of a former rail yard).