ABSTRACT
Urban development patterns have created a landscape dominated by vehicles, where vehicles spend 95% of their time parked (Shoup 2011). There are over 1.2 billion cars in the world, and that number is expected to double by 2030. Low-density auto-oriented communities force more people to drive, thereby increasing sprawl, impervious surfaces, heat island effect, and increased stormwater runoff. Buildings and transportation are the two largest emitters of CO2, and smarter solutions are needed when combining these two into parking garages. Parking is one of the largest land uses in cities. Locating parking near existing public transit or enhancing alternative modes of transportation, such as biking, can significantly reduce vehicle miles, fuel, emissions, and costs.
