How do I minimize hauling distances / times?

Question

In towns there's a lot of hauling resources from one place to another, typically from where they're produced/farmed/mined to where they are made into other items or consumed.

I'm particularly interested in minimizing distances for things that turn up in dungeons, such as the various metals from the mines.

As I go deeper down the distances townies have to walk just to collect one piece of metal can add up. Obviously I've already constructed shafts that they can use to go straight down rather than walking about on different layers, however they can only be where the metal is.

How can I get around the fact that the metal is far from where its needed?

Is it worth creating an entire resource chain (Anvil, etc.) nearby?

Answer 1

Build a raw resource stockpile near where you plan to consume said resources.

(Stockpiles are in the lower menu)

It will still take time to move the metal up to the stockpile. But, once you actually need the resource it will be right there waiting for you.

Alternatively, you could create your resource chain near the metal, and then have a stockpile for the finished product elsewhere.