AbstractThe paper defines the field of Freight Demand Management (FDM) and positions it in the broad range of public sector initiatives aimed at improving urban freight activity. To illustrate the magnitude of the impacts of FDM, the paper estimates the contributions to freight traffic by the various industry sectors in a sample of metropolitan areas, establishes the role of freight behavior research, and summarizes the performance of a number of FDM initiatives. The paper ends with a discussion of policy implications and conclusions.