It seems everywhere you go, especially in retail areas, there are massive parking lots that are largely empty. Doesn't this seem like a huge waste of land? Not only are they seemingly useless but they also create water runoff issues, discourage alternative forms of transit, and act as an eyesore for many communities. So why are they so big and often mostly empty?
There are many codes and ordinances that define parking space requirements for every piece of property in an area. An example of this comes from Columbia, Missouri where every supermarket requires 300 square feet of parking space for every 200 square feet of retail space. Therefore, more land is required for parking than the for the store itself. Reasons like this explain why we usually see hundreds of empty parking spaces.
Multi-level parking garages relieve the problem somewhat as they take up less surface area and if they're underground they may be largely unseen, but we need a better solution. Planners and builders should find ways to bring customers to their stores, restaurants, movie theaters, etc. in ways other than personal vehicles. They should be walk or bike-friendly, they should be close to public transit routes, and they should be situated in ways that discourage personal vehicle travel.
I think that you're right about this. Just driving around, I notice that if a parking lot is about half full, than the store that is associated with it is usually full, and I don't really understand this. The reason is that the engineer designs for more than the peak day, so that everyone can get a spot. Sometimes, though, the peak day happens only a couple times a year. An example would be sports stadiums. Most of the year the parking lot is empty, and I think that it is a shame to waste so much space.
ReplyDelete