‘We’re in the middle of a sea change’
Today, architects like (James) Cheng and (Foad) Rafii think about a building’s resiliency against future changes. … they consider a future with digital workspaces, ride-sharing and a generation of tenants who will forgo cars entirely.
Many office tenants don’t even ask about parking anymore, which means new buildings probably don’t need several levels of underground parking, Cheng said.
Totally agree.
But what to do with all that unused space we have created?
Replacement for unnecessary stand-alone parking garages.
Overflow for new neighbouring buildings that should have severely limited new parking.
Overnight parking/recharging space for autonomous ride-hailing vehicles.
More bicycle parking.
Batteries for rooftop solar.
Storage space to free up the land occupied by U-storage facilities…
We should be able to be creative about that. Our biggest enemies are regulations, bureaucracy, fear and inertia.
People don’t ask about parking likely because it is too expensive for an employer to provide as a perk to employees. Maybe just a few for the senior executives (if a corporate office).
For employees, parking downtown is also just too expensive given the various alternatives now available.
Parking levels could easily be converted to rentable storage areas for offices in the building. I know our law firm still has lots of materials sent offsite to Iron Mountain for storage (limitation periods can run up to 10 years).
We don’t have parking maximums. We still have parking minimums.
Hopefully they are asking about secure bicycle parking, showers and changing rooms with lockers.