A number of criteria can be used to classify the urban context as well as city logistics:
- Urban criteria. Cities can be represented according to their level of density, their spatial structure, how they are governed, their level of economic development, and their economic orientation (from cities having a strong manufacturing base to cities focusing on services). All of these criteria confer a wide range of circumstances in which city logistics can take place.
- City logistics criteria. The main dimension over which city logistics takes place, such as operations (delivery schedules, routing), the involved modes and vehicles, the infrastructure and land use, as well as compliance to regulations (speed limits, parking restrictions).