Natransporting
Natransporting is a term used in sustainability and transportation literature to describe the practice of aligning movement of people and goods with natural transport pathways to reduce energy consumption and emissions. It seeks to complement traditional infrastructure with natural routes such as inland waterways, coastal and wind-assisted corridors, and topographic gradients that reduce propulsion requirements. The concept covers planning, technology, and policy that enable shipments to ride natural forces—timed according to tides, river flows, or seasonal wind patterns—and to use multimodal combinations that minimize motorized propulsion.
Origin and usage: The term is relatively new and not standardized; it appears in both academic and
Principles and mechanisms: Core ideas include route optimization using hydrological and meteorological data, scheduling that leverages
Applications and challenges: Potential applications include regional freight corridors, humanitarian logistics using rivers and coasts, and