I no longer live in a city but even in our high density suburb it's shocking how much empty parking there is. There's a complex with a Target, TJ Maxx, Weis grocery and a bunch of other stores. It gets so crazy on the weekends that I try to only go on weeknights. But even on those crazy weekends with hundreds of cars parked, the parking lot never seems to get more than maybe 60% full. I'm not sure they could do anything with that space at this point, but I'm sure someone could figure something out!
In a world without parking minimums, street parking becomes the backup option. And people hate fighting for street parking. The answer is parking abundance - the city should build structured parking so that more space is left for the urban fabric people actually care about and enjoy.
Structured parking also incentives walking and biking. If people have a choice between a 15 minute bike ride and a 5 minute drive door to door, they'll often choose the drive. But if it's a 5 minute drive, a $2 parking fee, and a 5 minute walk from the parking lot to your destination, the bike option looks a lot better.
Every suburb on the San Francisco peninsula is built this way and people seem to love it.
If unsubsidized, certainly. Obviously, you’d also want the street parking to be priced—unless you remove it entirely and put all downtown parking in paid, structured lots.
I no longer live in a city but even in our high density suburb it's shocking how much empty parking there is. There's a complex with a Target, TJ Maxx, Weis grocery and a bunch of other stores. It gets so crazy on the weekends that I try to only go on weeknights. But even on those crazy weekends with hundreds of cars parked, the parking lot never seems to get more than maybe 60% full. I'm not sure they could do anything with that space at this point, but I'm sure someone could figure something out!
In a world without parking minimums, street parking becomes the backup option. And people hate fighting for street parking. The answer is parking abundance - the city should build structured parking so that more space is left for the urban fabric people actually care about and enjoy.
Structured parking also incentives walking and biking. If people have a choice between a 15 minute bike ride and a 5 minute drive door to door, they'll often choose the drive. But if it's a 5 minute drive, a $2 parking fee, and a 5 minute walk from the parking lot to your destination, the bike option looks a lot better.
Every suburb on the San Francisco peninsula is built this way and people seem to love it.
If unsubsidized, certainly. Obviously, you’d also want the street parking to be priced—unless you remove it entirely and put all downtown parking in paid, structured lots.