How does parking shape city planning?
Many journeys begin and end with a parking space and car parks are a ubiquitous part of our urban landscapes. Each parking space ranges in area from 15-30 sq mt and it’s estimated that a driver needs anywhere from 2 to 5 parking spaces every day. This is no small feat, which begs the question, what role does parking have in shaping city planning?
city mobility and planning
In the last few decades, we have seen a growing number of European cities making major changes in their approach to parking policies in urban settings. People are tired of having public spaces taken up for more and more cars, with no end in sight. Despite the construction of new car parks and roads, traffic congestion has only increased. Parking has emerged as one of the key aspects of city planning that affects how people navigate cities and their relationship with public spaces.
Loading component...
Parking garages consume a lot of land while not giving back much in terms of multifunctionality or aesthetics. The construction of too many car parks is a flaw in city planning that contributes to dispersed development and can increase travel distance. Therefore, the planning, design, and management of car parks are vital for any smart city that wants to improve livability and walkability within the city.
The solution, however, is not building more parking spaces. Construction of additional parking services can increase driving and inadvertently increase the demand for parking. The way through this conundrum is to first focus on managing the existing supply of parking spaces. Managing and optimising the use of existing car parks is a more cost-effective strategy to reduce parking demand while providing an exciting business opportunity for underutilised parking garages. Smart parking platforms, like Mobypark, are at the forefront of helping cities manage their parking supply and demand. A smart parking platform can help business owners with extra parking rent their space to customers, without much hassle. Smart solutions are the biggest driver for change in parking policies and can help bridge the supply and demand gap many cities face.
City planning policies also need to change if we want to avoid building more parking garages. Many cities have antiquated parking planning rules that specify a minimum number of parking spaces, especially for residential developments. Many cities require 2 parking spots per unit, but this varies. As we move towards more shared mobility and transit-based city planning, these rules only serve to drive up the cost of the construction and make it more expensive to live there. Again, smart parking technology can step in here to help people rent out unused parking spaces.
.png)
