Parking

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The respected developer DealCorp have seen a quick take up of their unique promotion of offering their apartment buyers a chance to secure a further parking spot for just $1.

It's in their contemporary McKinnon apartment development MCKN in Melbourne's Glen Eira district, south-east of the CBD.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=4939]

While marketing was underway, MCKN's project team went back to re-design some apartments in line with local demand and were able to secure additional carparking.

The two bedroom, two bathroom apartments were offered the parking spaces for $1.

<a href="https://www.urban.com.au/news/vic/why-families-are-snapping-up-apartments-in-mckinnons-mckn-development">Read more: Why families are snapping up apartments in McKinnon's MCKN development</a>

“Understanding buyer demand and being agile is what DealCorp prides itself on", DealCorp marketing manager Laurelle Kobritz says.

"The market surrounding McKinnon is sophisticated and aware of incentives, so we needed to offer a stand out offer buyers couldn’t refuse if they were considering MCKN."

There's now just one car park remaining from the promotion, which DealCorp expect will be snapped up before the promotion closes at the end of the month.

DealCorp have secured around 70 per cent of sales already at MCKN, the boutique apartment development of just 41 on Jasper Road.

<a href="https://www.urban.com.au/new-apartments/mckn-236-jasper-road-mckinnon"><img alt="" height="790" src="https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/mckn_2_0.jpg" width="1200"></a>

Spanning five levels, MCKN has been designed by the award-winning architect RITZ&amp;GHOUGASSIAN to pay homage to the functional designs of the neighbouring architecture.

The façade is a bold, textured surface of fluted concrete panels, which guide flourishing young shoots up the building’s exterior.

It's been a hit with families or prospective families so far due to the size of each apartment and its proximity to McKinnon Secondary College, one of the state’s highest ranked schools.

Completion is slated for August 2021, with the well regarded construction firm Hamilton Marino Builders handling the build.

 
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While marketing was underway, MCKN's project team went back to re-design some apartments in line with local demand and were able to secure additional carparking

Joel Robinson

DealCorp see success in unique $1 car space giveaway at McKinnon apartment development MCKN

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Two innovative transport startups, GoGet  and Divvy Parking, have announced a partnership.
The aim is improving Sydney's transport network and parking efficiencies for commuters suffering traffic congestion.
Divvy Parking recently signed partnerships with major property groups DEXUS, GPT and Knight Frank and secured $2.5 million in funding.
Divvy Parking and GoGet will use their respective platforms to connect GoGet’s fleet of 2000 cars to parking spaces in Divvy’s growing commercial portfolio, following the rollout of the parking platform’s industry changing access technology. GoGet will leverage Divvy’s network to connect with commercial parking space owners and managers in CBD office towers, who are eager to improve the yield on under utilised spaces, with the aim of securing a wider variety of GoGet reserved spots for users in Sydney. 
The partnership will see GoGet and Divvy partner and integrate in Sydney first, with a national roll out following later this year.
Meanwhile drivers looking for a cheap parking deal were possibly not considering the consequences of parking with unestablished organisations, according to Garth Mathews, Secure Parking founder.
“Although we too are moving from a bricks and mortar business to a digital shop front, Secure Parking’s 30 years of experience in the industry means we have all the right procedures and systems in place, to ensure that our customers are benefiting from a full service management system.
“This includes public liability insurance, surveillance cameras, regularly maintained technology and cleaning, and a dedicated customer support centre in the event something goes wrong – important benefits other players aren’t considering.
"With emerging technologies, we can now combine that, with flexible, cheaper parking rates too,” he said. 
Secure Parking has been operating for several years with Secure-a-Spot, an online booking service which provides an end to end solution and accounts for over 160,000 parking bays booked each month.
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jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Divvy and Go Get partner in competitive Sydney CBD parking skirmish

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Dr Joe Pollak, of the Men's Medical Clinic, has emerged as the mystery $264,000 buyer of the record-breaking Potts Point residential car space.
Set in somewhat dated 1960s Macleay Street block, The Chimes, the price even ranked a mention in the current federal parliamentary hearing into home ownership given the clash of egos stellar auction result. 
The 62 year old Dr Pollak is an inner city property resident and investor.  
His 26 square metre car space is the longer then normal, apparently giving him the hope of tandem parking.
Specializing in the treatment of impotence since 1994, Dr Joe Pollak bills himself as one of Australia's most experienced mens' health practitioners having seen over 65,000 men.
This article was first published in the Saturday Daily Telegraph.
 
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Dr Joe Pollak buys $264,000 Potts Point car space

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The founders of smart parking startup Divvy Parking have given away 40 per cent of their business to automotive insurance industry incumbent, the National Road and Motorists Association.
Divvy Parking allows customers to book spare parking spaces inside commercial buildings.
Divvy said the investment from the NRMA would help it accelerate the rollout of a new enterprise platform and also allows its to access more commuters through the NRMA network.
The NRMA runs the Jumpstart accelerator program which provides entrepreneurs who have developed products which fit within the industry.
The NRMA would not reveal the size of the investment it had taken in Divvy.
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jonathanchancellor-7SQnKwU6yx

NRMA takes stake in Divvy Parking

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The high price of parking has discouraged shoppers from coming into the CBD, exacerbating the issues faced by the city’s retail industry including low foot traffic and a dwindling economy. 
Lino Iacomella, Property Council WA executive director said the State Government must do everything it can to increase the number of people shopping in the Perth CBD and should commit to not increasing the Perth Parking Levy in the upcoming State Budget.
“The Perth Parking Levy raised an estimated $34 million in 2012/13 with a $365 per bay increase announced in the 2014/15 Budget (despite the $48 million of funds unspent)," he said.
“The city centre is facing significant economic challenges following the decline of the investment boom with CBD office vacancies now at 21%. The decline in the number of people working in the CBD has led to a jump in retail vacancies to 16%.
‘If less people now work in the CBD, we must look at ways to attract people in from the suburbs. The Perth Parking Levy has driven up the cost of parking, making the city not competitive, compared to the suburban shopping centre that all offer free parking.
“The parking levy is highly inequitable as it only captures a small portion of the cars that contribute to Perth’s congestion issues.
“The Levy also applies to all commercial buildings’ parking bays, which makes investors less likely to purchase property in the CBD, stagnating the market and doing nothing to increase Perth’s worker population.
“Perth CBD is in urgent need of revitalisation. The State Government must commit to not increasing the Perth Parking Levy to spur the inner-city economy and keep WA growing."
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Perth parking levy driving shoppers out of CBD: Property Council WA

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A warehouse near Melbourne airport Tullamarine which will be used for airport parking has been leased on a five year lease term at $85,000 per annum.
The 507 sqm warehouse at <a href="https://www.realcommercial.com.au/property-industrial+warehouse-vic-tullamarine-502516550" target="_blank">36 Tullamarine Park Road</a> is located near the Western Ring Road with linkages to Tullamarine Freeway, Calder Highway and Melbourne Airport.
The warehouse that sits on a 2,800 sqm parcel has been leased to a local company.
It has front to rear drive through access, partitioned offices and two driveways.
CVA agents Anthony Carbone and Tom Gleeson negotiated the lease.
 
 
 
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jrobinson-rf4aSBido9

Warehouse for airport parking leased for $85,000 a year

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GUEST OBSERVATION
Parking is a fiery issue in Australian cities. That’s because cars dominate our cities, supported by decades of <a href="https://theconversation.com/crowded-trains-planning-focus-on-cars-misses-new-apartment-impacts-116514" target="_blank">unbalanced planning decisions</a> favouring space for cars over other land uses or forms of transport. Parking is even an issue in the federal election, with both the <a href="https://theconversation.com/500m-for-station-car-parks-other-transport-solutions-could-do-much-more-for-the-money-114908" target="_blank">Coalition</a> and <a href="https://www.alp.org.au/policies/national-park-ride-fund/" target="_blank">Labor</a> promising to fund more spaces for commuters.
The issue of parking flared up again recently in Melbourne’s inner north. Moreland City Council <a href="https://www.moreland.vic.gov.au/transport-strategy" target="_blank">wants to scrap minimum parking requirements for new apartments</a> around its increasingly dense activity centres.
Victoria’s planning minister, Richard Wynne, gets the final say on this plan – and it might be a “no”. <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/planning-minister-criticises-council-plan-to-axe-car-parks-20190409-p51chm" target="_blank">He said</a> last month the practicalities need more thought and that Moreland must “strike a balance”.
Wynne is right, but not in the way he implies.
Australian cities are generous to cars
Minimum parking requirements were introduced across Australia alongside the rise of cars <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-elephant-in-the-planning-scheme-how-cities-still-work-around-the-dominance-of-parking-space-87098" target="_blank">in the 1950s</a>. These set rigid ratios for parking spaces in different types of new developments.
For example, the <a href="https://www.dplh.wa.gov.au/getmedia/5926602c-ab14-46f0-be6f-56dc31c45902/SPP-7-3-R-Codes-Apartments" target="_blank">Western Australia State Planning Policy</a> requires at least at least 0.75–1 parking bay for every one-bedroom dwelling in an apartment building, plus at least one visitor parking space per four dwellings. A <a href="https://walga.asn.au/getattachment/Documents/Cardno_Review-of-LG-Parking-Requirements_Main-Report_vFINAL.PDF.aspx?lang=en-AU" target="_blank">review of parking policy in Western Australia</a> found these requirements are largely based on small, outdated surveys in the United States and do not reflect actual demand for parking in Australia.
A result of these policies is a <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-elephant-in-the-planning-scheme-how-cities-still-work-around-the-dominance-of-parking-space-87098" target="_blank">glut of parking in Australian cities</a>. The local council area of the City of Melbourne has over 215,000 parking spaces. However, 40-60% of households in the area do not own a car and <a href="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/hdp.au.prod.app.com-participate.files/2615/2963/7455/Transport_Strategy_Refresh_-_Background_paper_-_Car_Parking.pdf" target="_blank">around a third of apartment parking spaces are not used</a>.
Removing minimum requirements is an effort by local governments to allow the <a href="https://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/building-and-development/urban-planning/melbourne-planning-scheme/planning-scheme-amendments/Pages/amendment-c133-maximum-car-parking-rates.aspx" target="_blank">varying needs of local communities to determine parking outcomes</a>.
But what about tradies, emergency workers, the disabled?
Often proposed changes to parking are criticised for being unfair to people who may rely on cars. It is great that these questions of equity are raised (including by the planning minister), but some of the common concerns are misplaced.
Firstly, developers are sensitive to market demands and will continue to provide apartments with parking for those who need it. When <a href="https://www.accessmagazine.org/fall-2016/from-parking-minimums-to-parking-maximums-in-london/" target="_blank">London removed minimum parking requirements in 2004</a>, new developments still provided car parks – just at half the previous required rate.
Closer to home, the inner-city councils of <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/parking-requirements-to-be-cut-back-under-new-design-standards-proposed-for-apartments-20140923-10kw9f" target="_blank">Sydney</a> and Melbourne have already removed some minimum parking requirements – and many new apartments still provide parking spaces.
Secondly, while apartment dwellers with insufficient off-street parking are often blamed for clogging up on-street parking in residential areas, they are rarely to blame. A <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264837718309104" target="_blank">recent study in Melbourne</a> found residents of detached houses use 77-84% of on-street parking. Many of them have garages, but choose to use them for storage or living space.
Apartment dwellers were less likely to use on-street parking and more likely to have unused spaces. And more parking in apartment blocks isn’t helping people access our cities, even by car.
Finally, providing more housing options without rigidly attached parking spaces will encourage people who don’t actually need to drive to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352146517306737" target="_blank">choose to drive less or switch to other forms of transport</a>.
Removing minimum parking requirements will not mean that people who need to drive for work, medical or other reasons can’t find homes with parking spaces. Indeed, if we make it easier for those who don’t need to drive to get around in other ways, <a href="https://theconversation.com/crowded-trains-planning-focus-on-cars-misses-new-apartment-impacts-116514" target="_blank">congestion could be eased for those workers who do need a car</a>.
Pro-car planning policies are unfair to those who can’t drive
Policies that encourage dependence on cars marginalise people who can’t or don’t drive. These groups are often disadvantaged in other ways. For example, people with disabilities tend to <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1044207317702070" target="_blank">rely on public transport, not cars, to participate in society</a>.
In Australia, <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4102.0Main+Features40July+2013#missing" target="_blank">households in the most disadvantaged areas</a> are the most likely not to have a car. Older Australians are also less likely to drive. <a href="https://chartingtransport.com/2015/03/09/trends-in-drivers-license-ownership-in-australia/" target="_blank">Rates of driver licence ownership decrease</a> from around the age of 60.
Providing quality public transport and walkable streets – not an oversupply of car parking – is critical to ensure <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0013916512440705" target="_blank">children</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/young-people-want-walkable-neighbourhoods-but-safety-is-a-worry-88081" target="_blank">young</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/eight-simple-changes-to-our-neighbourhoods-can-help-us-age-well-83962" target="_blank">older people</a> and those with <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/public-leaders-network/2016/sep/27/disabled-people-second-class-citizens-public-transport" target="_blank">disabilities</a> can get around independently.
Minimum parking requirements prioritise cars as the default transport option. The results include <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/in-theory/wp/2016/03/03/how-parking-requirements-hurt-the-poor/?noredirect=on&amp;utm_term=.e57f0893f065" target="_blank">increased congestion, urban sprawl and air pollution</a>.
Parking requirements also make apartments less affordable. Land construction costs per parking space average between <a href="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/hdp.au.prod.app.com-participate.files/2615/2963/7455/Transport_Strategy_Refresh_-_Background_paper_-_Car_Parking.pdf" target="_blank">A$50,000 and $80,000, as well as using valuable space at an average of 21 square metres</a>. A parking space is bigger than a bedroom – and <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/business/melbournes-apartment-sizes-face-more-scrutiny-20150414-1mkuj4" target="_blank">nearly half the size of a typical new Melbourne apartment!</a>.
Design cities around people, not cars
Australian planning policy has favoured cars over other forms of transport for too long. This needs to change if we want our cities to be healthy, liveable and easy to get around for everyone.
Moreland’s plan to scrap minimum parking requirements may sound extreme, but it isn’t going to take existing parking spaces away, or mean all new developments will have zero parking.
The practicalities of on-street parking policy are important, but mandating the supply of more off-street parking <a href="https://theconversation.com/empty-car-parks-everywhere-but-nowhere-to-park-how-cities-can-do-better-99031" target="_blank">isn’t even the best way to meet parking demand</a>.
If we continue to plan our urban areas as if everyone needs a car (or multiple cars) to get around, we will rapidly run out of space. And the space we have left will be unpleasant to spend time in. This means more time spent in traffic for drivers and ugly, hazardous and polluted streets for locals.
Sidestepping this difficult issue in the name of “balance” isn’t fair or practical. Improving public transport in these corridors is in the state’s power and would be a much more constructive response.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/116179/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;">
Elizabeth Taylor, Senior Lecturer in Urban Planning &amp; Design, Monash University
Julianna Rozek, Research Officer, Healthy Liveable Cities Group, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University
Rebecca Clements, PhD Candidate, Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, University of Melbourne
Thami Croeser, Research Officer, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University
This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/of-all-the-problems-our-cities-need-to-fix-lack-of-car-parking-isnt-one-of-them-116179" target="_blank">original article</a>.
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j.ballantyne1990-6AQqhLzZaK

Of all the problems our cities need to fix, lack of car parking isn’t one of them

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Centuria Property Services, the asset management arm of Centuria Capital Group, has signed an implementation agreement with parking technology startup BaseUp.
Vacant parking bays in and around commercial properties owned by Centuria’s listed and unlisted property funds will be made available via the BaseUp app, where tenants can participate and register for short-term parking solutions.
BaseUp is a provider of smart parking technology to large tenants and landlords in the commercial property market.
BaseUp provides solutions that solve one of commercial real estate’s biggest problems – underutilised parking and a lack of flexibility. 
Matthew McQueen, Portfolio Manager at Centuria, commented: "After a highly successful pilot period at two of our assets, we have now signed up for all our property residents. 
"Those at the forefront of the commercial property market – office properties in particular – are increasingly focusing on the well-being of a building’s users, a significant aspect of which is convenience of commuting and end-of-trip."
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Centuria signs agreement with parking technology provider BaseUp

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GUEST OBSERVATION
Many Australian cities have fallen back on offering free car parking to attract visitors back to the CBD after the pandemic. In contrast, cities around the world are basing their recovery strategies on bold and evidence-based urban transformations.
In August, Adelaide City councillors voted for <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-12/adelaide-to-hold-drivers-month-to-boost-retail-amid-coronavirus/12549148">incentives for people to drive and park within the CBD</a>, including a controversial “driver’s month” promotion. In Perth, <a href="https://www.google.com.au/amp/s/amp.watoday.com.au/national/western-australia/zempilas-free-parking-plan-to-cost-perth-ratepayers-hundreds-of-thousands-20201103-p56b3q">free parking in the CBD</a> during the holidays is expected to cost A$700,000.
In Victoria, the state hit hardest by the pandemic, the City of Geelong has announced <a href="https://www.geelongaustralia.com.au/covid19/article/item/8d7d0f8fc065b64.aspx">a range of free CBD parking policies</a> estimated to cost several million dollars. Melbourne City Council has endorsed <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/lost-opportunity-melbourne-considers-slashing-cost-of-parking-as-part-of-car-led-recovery-20201116-p56exx">free on-street parking</a> via a voucher system estimated to cost $1.6 million in lost revenue. It’s also seeking to reduce the state-based congestion levy on off-street parking by 25%.
The move to increase car traffic into the central city is perhaps most surprising in the case of Melbourne. Planners have called it a “<a href="https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/a-1960s-solution-planners-slam-city-council-s-push-for-free-parking-20201123-p56h49">1960s solution</a>” and a “<a href="https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/lost-opportunity-melbourne-considers-slashing-cost-of-parking-as-part-of-car-led-recovery-20201116-p56exx">lost opportunity</a>”. Free parking and other incentives for car travel <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://twitter.com/BrentToderian/status/1296926489045172224">are at odds</a> with the city’s recent <a href="https://participate.melbourne.vic.gov.au/transportstrategy">Transport Strategy 2030</a>, which seeks to prioritise walking, cycling and public transport.
Parking incentives don’t work
These car-led approaches to a hoped-for economic recovery were <a href="https://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/about-council/committees-meetings/meeting-archive/MeetingAgendaItemAttachments/924/16397/NOV20%20CCL%20AGENDA%20ITEM%206.8.pdf">rushed out ahead of new evidence and modelling</a>. This approach also goes against <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-elephant-in-the-planning-scheme-how-cities-still-work-around-the-dominance-of-parking-space-87098">decades</a> of <a href="https://theconversation.com/empty-car-parks-everywhere-but-nowhere-to-park-how-cities-can-do-better-99031">available</a> <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-can-our-cities-do-about-sprawl-congestion-and-pollution-tip-scrap-car-parking-118393">evidence</a> on the detrimental impacts of conventional urban parking policies in Australia and internationally.
Free parking – pursued and mandated in many cities since the mid-20th century – has a nasty habit of building in unnecessary car use through narrowly targeted subsidies to car users, which directly undermine other transport modes. Parking researcher Liz Taylor <a href="https://www.foreground.com.au/planning-policy/street-fight-car-parks-covid-19-and-the-future-of-urban-retail-part-1/">recently</a> <a href="https://www.foreground.com.au/planning-policy/petrol-powered-planning/">explained</a> the historical myths and troubled relationships between retail and parking we risk perpetuating.
COVID has changed cities, and we must adjust
Cheap parking has <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-07/warrnambool-free-parking-plan-attracts-overstayers/12426236">poor prospects</a> for attracting enough visitors to offset the changes the pandemic has brought to Australian CBDs. CBDs rely heavily on daily office workers – who are now largely working from home – and on large residential populations, including international students and tourists to whom borders are now closed.
In Melbourne, daily journeys into the city are <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/victoria/far-from-normal-cbd-businesses-cling-to-customers-as-office-workers-stay-away-20201112-p56dw2">down 90%. Only 8% of office towers are occupied</a>.
Even so, car traffic is now at <a href="https://www-theage-com-au.eu1.proxy.openathens.net/politics/victoria/as-busy-as-bourke-street-push-for-cbd-recovery-gathers-pace-20201112-p56dwa">roughly 90%</a> of its pre-COVID levels. Cars are already back, but that does not translate to people in CBDs – and road capacity means the city <a href="https://www.openforum.com.au/melbournes-covid-car-crunch/">can’t manage many more cars</a>.
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/372440/original/file-20201202-15-1dvr3lp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/372440/original/file-20201202-15-1dvr3lp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="Chart showing use of cars, public transport and walking in Melbourne from January to the end of November"></a> Apple mobility data for Melbourne show car travel is back to almost pre-pandemic levels. <a class="source" href="https://covid19.apple.com/mobility">Apple Mobility Trends</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a>
Similarly, Australian CBD retail landscapes have been <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-covid-all-but-killed-the-australian-cbd-147848">drastically altered</a>. Experts <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-suburbs-are-the-future-of-post-covid-retail-148802">predict many lasting changes</a>, including retail “localism” in the suburbs.
Parking hasn’t played any role in these changes. Instead, major economic shifts and political decisions have forced and enabled changes in work and lifestyle.
Many CBD workers simply <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-18/coronavirus-working-from-home-impact-on-australian-cities/12435248">won’t have to come back</a>. CBDs previously didn’t need to be pleasant to be full of people – many were forced to be there. That has changed, and so the city must change too – from a destination of default to a destination of choice.
The adjustment can create better cities
Encouraging cars back into the hearts of cities isn’t just a bad recovery strategy. It could be a huge missed opportunity to create more attractive, high-amenity cities.
Around the world, many cities are welcoming the chance to use parking and streets differently, <a href="https://theconversation.com/covid-has-proved-working-from-home-is-the-best-policy-to-beat-congestion-148926">farewelling the daily car commute</a> to embrace something better.
In Paris, Mayor Anne Hidalgo’s <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carltonreid/2020/10/20/paris-mayor-anne-hidalgo-to-make-good-on-pledge-to-remove-half-of-citys-car-parking-spaces/?sh=49932fa916ec">visionary “15-minute city” plan</a> aims to replace 60,000 surface parking spaces with green pedestrianised streets, safe dedicated cycling networks and “children streets” near schools. The plan actively turns away from car dominance.
Barcelona’s mayor has announced <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-11-11/barcelona-s-new-car-free-superblock-will-be-big">a massive green revamp</a> of the central city. Its already successful Superblock model, based on large-scale pedestrianisation, will be super-sized. Intersections and parking are being turned into parks and plazas.
 
London is creating <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-07-28/how-london-s-low-traffic-streets-keep-cars-at-bay">hundreds of low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs)</a>, as is <a href="https://citymonitor.ai/transport/in-one-of-europes-most-car-dependent-cities-lockdown-offers-a-chance-to-rethink-the-road">car-dependent Brussels</a>. LTNs are based on transforming streets with quality cycling and pedestrian infrastructure, closing some streets to car traffic and otherwise instituting low speeds. <a href="https://www.wired.co.uk/article/oslo-pedestrianisation">Oslo’s “Vision Zero” strategy</a> demonstrates the power of these measures to transform cities.
As these cities are finding, street reclamation projects can succeed quickly, and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/16/i-got-it-wrong-since-the-changes-its-become-more-vibrant-life-in-an-ltn">local businesses</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/16/claim-low-traffic-schemes-only-benefit-better-off-debunked-in-new-study">neighbourhoods of all income levels</a> benefit. However, leaders need to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/nov/16/the-guardian-view-on-low-traffic-neighbourhoods-streets-ahead">“hold their nerve”</a> through the complex period of change.
New ways of seeing cities
Australian cities are changing with COVID too. Melbourne in particular has been forced to radically rethink streets as public space at a metropolitan scale. Through innovative co-operation between retailers and local councils, <a href="https://melbourneparklets.ushahidi.io/views/map">hundreds of parklets</a> have emerged across the city.
These spaces offer sensible, creative and exciting ways for people to re-embrace dining out after lockdown. The <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/gertrude-street-locals-don-t-want-council-to-call-time-on-garden-party-20201117-p56fb3">enthusiastic reception</a> is already causing many retailers to forget about parking and call for permanent changes.
The City of Melbourne has issued 1,300 outdoor dining permits and transformed 200 on-street parking spaces. This raises the the question of whether free parking is the best use of its precious public space and funds.
<img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/371045/original/file-20201124-17-km8fmg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="Diners sit within a green parklet on Lygon Street in Melbourne, having fun on reclaimed street space."> A parklet on reclaimed street space on Lygon Street, Melbourne. Liz Taylor (own photo)
While systematic study of parking is often scarce, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264837718309797">far</a> <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-value-of-cycling-rapid-evidence-review-of-the-economic-benefits-of-cycling">stronger</a> <a href="https://vtpi.org/walkability.pdf">evidence</a> supports the economic value of space for active transport, green space and outdoor dining. Our future cities can be places where people “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/02/dining/outdoor-dining-nyc">will see the street belongs to them</a>”.
Street space can feel like the exclusive (and hostile) realm of cars, but it is simply public land that is currently (mis)allocated to cars. Perceptions are beginning to change, allowing city residents to reimagine what streets might offer beyond moving and storing cars.
The race is on to invite people back to our cities. But a return to streets full of cars, narrow sidewalks crowded with pedestrians, and parking problems that never go away simply isn’t much of an invitation.
When urbanist Brent Toderian asked people to post <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://twitter.com/BrentToderian/status/1168055558068301824">photos showing #TheBeautyofCities</a>, the hundreds of submissions featured green streets full of people walking, cycling and having fun, not car parking and traffic.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/150380/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;">
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/rebecca-clements-506288">Rebecca Clements</a>, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/elizabeth-taylor-97922">Elizabeth Taylor</a>, Senior Lecturer in Urban Planning &amp; Design, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/thami-croeser-729067">Thami Croeser</a>, Research Officer, Centre for Urban Research, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a>
This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-australian-cities-need-post-covid-vision-not-free-parking-150380">original article</a>.
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