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SUBJECTS › TRANSPORTATION › Downtown Parking
Updated 11/07

Downtown Parking

Contents

Introduction - What makes downtown parking special?

There are special issues associated with parking in downtown areas where land is valuable and relatively scarce and large numbers of people converge to work, shop, and visit. The lack of parking is sometimes cited as a reason for the declining vitality of a downtown business district. Some downtowns seem to thrive despite a shortage of parking, because of the attractions they offer, as long as they provide alternative ways of getting there and getting around. It is important to recognize that parking is not an end in itself but is intended to serve the needs of the various users of downtown, including workers, shoppers, tourists, and others.

Provision of adequate parking can be challenging in downtowns of all sizes. In large cities and major metropolitan areas, transportation policies typically emphasize the use of transit and ridesharing programs instead of providing low-cost downtown parking. Some smaller communities, especially resort communities, have developed systems of parking lots and shuttles to reduce the demand for parking in the town center. At the same time in most cities, there is likely to always be a need for a certain amount of parking, whether it be on-street or off-street. Some downtowns predate the widespread use of the automobile and were not laid out with parking in mind. Downtowns are typically compact, which also means that there is not ample space for parking. Parking is not intrinsically an aesthetic asset to the city's character, and extensive parking lots are particularly jarring in a historic downtown environment. In metropolitan areas, for downtown businesses to successfully compete with suburban shopping centers, a workable balance of parking, transit service, and other access options is essential.

Decisions about downtown parking and other access solutions require trade-offs between the use of expensive land to achieve a viable and attractive downtown and the provision of workable parking/access programs to support downtown's vitality. Thus, parking must be viewed as only one element in a broad range of access and circulation options for downtown.

This Web page is organized into several general topics related to downtown parking.

Downtown Parking in General

This section includes general materials addressing general downtown parking issues, principles, and goals.

  • Downtown parking: Reining in the 800-pound gorilla, by Kent Robertson, Community and Rural Development Institute (CaRDI) at Cornell University, Community & Economic Development Toolbox - Sets forth six key parking principles related to downtown development
  • Parking management made easy: a guide to taming the downtown parking beast, Adobe Acrobat Document prepared by the Oregon Downtown Development Association for the Transportation and Growth Management Program, June 2001. Useful step-by-step handbook to addressing downtown parking issues including inventories and potential solutions
  • The Dynamics of On-Street Parking in Large Central Cities, by Allison L. C. de Cerreño, Rudin Center for Transportation Policy & Management, NYU Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, December 2002
  • Parking: The Parking Handbook for Small Communities, by John D. Edwards, ITE, National Trust for Historic Preservation, 1994. Library Loan - Primarily oriented toward downtown parking but a useful overview of parking issues in small cities.
  • Downtown Parking Made Easy: 6 strategies for improving the quality and quantity of downtown parking, by Mary Barr, Downtown Research & Development Center, 1997. Library Loan

Downtown Parking Studies, Inventories, and Plans

Many communities have undertaken parking studies and inventories to assess their downtown parking situation and have developed plans to address downtown parking issues. This section includes information on how to develop a parking management plan as well as examples of parking inventories, studies, and plans.

Inventories and Studies

Parking Plans

Downtown Parking Management

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