The effect of parking on the urban environment

Parking availability directly affects the functioning of residential areas, public spaces, and commercial and work zones. Good cities are those that create high-quality public spaces. Such spaces allow residents to walk from place to place (even to the bus station or nearby parking lot), helping them lead healthier lifestyles and supporting businesses in the city by attracting a wider clientele.

Often, both residents and business owners push for an increase in parking supply, believing that it will improve access to homes and businesses. As a result, public walking spaces, especially sidewalks, are frequently seized for private vehicles, either through driveway openings or, more seriously, by effectively allowing parking on the sidewalks.

There is a price for the occupation of sidewalks by parked cars. They adversely impact pedestrian movement and obstruct sightlines for both pedestrians and drivers. Therefore, the cost of poor or non-existent management of parking in the city is paid by us, the residents. In this way, increasing the supply of parking in effect harms those seeking to expand it: it degrades the quality of urban areas and public spaces, disrupting the continuity of the walking environment and making the city less handicap accessible and more dangerous for pedestrians. 

It should also be remembered that increasing the parking supply in a specific area may cause planned buildings to be constructed further apart, thereby increasing walking and driving distances in the neighbourhood, and limiting shade provided by buildings in proximity, ultimately contributing to a greater need for car usage. Thus, increasing the supply of parking creates a vicious cycle in which the demand for parking spaces grows, while the quality of the urban space deteriorates.