PPS on Parking
Despite what you may have heard, nobody goes to a place solely because it has parking.
...
The hang-up on parking is an indicator that a community has no broader vision for itself.Ethan Kent in "Finding a Place for Parking"
Mr. Kent also made these points at the riverfront placemaking session last Saturday.
Besides asserting parking as a means and not a destination, the essay has practical steps for rationalizing parking without harming the reason for parking -- places.
Labels: parking lots suck, placemaking
posted by gatesofmemphis at 11:28 PM
3 Comments:
"Despite what you may have heard, nobody goes to a place solely because it has parking."
... I've never heard that. However, I do know many people WON'T go to a place that lacks parking, parking is overpriced, or parking is "too far away" (too far is very subjective).
In a city like Memphis that has a sucky bus system, then parking is an issue.
One of the things I appreciate about the Fedex Forum is that I know parking won't be a problem. It's not that it was impossible to find a place to park at the Pyramid, but that you never quite knew where it would be or how much it would cost. I'm not that wealthy. On the rare occasion that someone gives me tickets to a grizzlies or tigers game, I have to budget both time and money (as well as find a babysitter) to make it work. With the peabody place garages, I know exactly how much it's going to cost me, and how far I'm going to have to walk. This makes a big difference in whether I make the effort to spend a weeknight downtown. I work downtown, and yet I still get confused figuring out where to park sometimes. I imagine it's even worse for someone who lives in collierville and works in steak lunch land. So I guess the point of this ramble is that if parking is consistent and not confusing, people won't have a problem. When it adds to what is already a disconcerting experience for many (ie going downtown), then many won't make the effort.
larry, thanks for the comment. I think Kent sees it as an issue also -- the essay has 10 questions that practically address the problem. I think Memphis would benefit from the analysis.
jccvi, your comment speaks to the success of treating parking as an issue, but not motive, for great places like Autozone Park and the Fedex Forum. Success to repeat over and over again.
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