There’s no shortage of forward-thinking ideas about how cities will look in the future. From vertical farms to renewable energy sources, futurists and urban planners have some far-ranging ideas about the urban environments of the future. Though for all these big, history-altering ideas about the cities of tomorrow, there’s one idea that doesn’t get talked about as much — an idea that’s not as exciting as self-driving buses or robotic construction workers, but no less important. That idea is, simply, “Where will everybody park their cars?”
Like all issues of urban planning, parking is an issue of utilizing available space in the most effective and efficient way. However, it also connects to larger urban issues such as pollution and public safety. Finding a solution to the parking issue that can address all of these issues is the challenge for the urban planners of the future, but the answer may already exist. Automated parking solutions can be the key to the parking challenges of tomorrow’s cities because they’ve already proven to be beneficial in today’s cities.
In an automated parking system, drivers enter the parking facility’s transfer area, make sure their vehicles are secure, swipe their key fob or take a ticket and then the automated system transports their vehicle to an available space in the garage. Once the driver is ready to leave, he or she simply swipes their fob or ticket again and the automated system retrieves the car and delivers it back to the transfer area, and the driver drives away.
Here are some ways in which smart parking solution providers are creating the urban parking solutions of tomorrow, today.
Maximizing Space
One of the biggest challenges cities face is utilizing the available space in the best manner. Parking lots and garages take too much valuable real estate, and on-street parking contributes to traffic congestion. Automated parking systems make more efficient use of space because they have the option of being built underground, and they don’t need ramps for drivers to get in and out of spaces. Through the use of automated parking systems, the cities of the future can devote more of their precious space to places for people, not cars.
Improving the Environment
Although circumstances have improved somewhat in the last half-century, air pollution continues to be one of the biggest problems in cities. A significant amount of this pollution could be eliminated if more cities utilized automated parking systems, however. That’s because, smart parking solutions eliminate the need for drivers to circle the block looking for open parking spots, as well as driving throughout parking garages looking for spaces.
Ensuring Public Safety
Crime is an unfortunate fact of life in any urban environment, but automated parking systems can reduce the risk to citizens by decreasing the opportunities criminals have. Because cars are parked by robotic lifts in areas inaccessible to the general public, there’s a much lower chance, if at all, that a car can be broken into or stolen. Eliminating the need to walk to and from the parking space also means there are fewer opportunities for violent crimes that might be possible in a traditional parking garage.
No one knows exactly what the cities of the future will look like, but it’s virtually guaranteed that the need for parking will continue to influence their planning. Finding a place to park is one urban issue that won’t be going away anytime soon, but automated parking systems can be the solution cities need. Reach out to Westfalia Parking Solutions to learn more about this exciting prospect.