Our world is changing, and within that, our urban environment must change to accommodate an influx of people changes in their behaviours and demographics, technological advances and new forms of power.
Image Credit: Chuttersnap
The built environment has a fantastic opportunity to utilise available and emerging technologies to create a place that is sustainable, future-proof and offers an enhanced quality of life for its inhabitants. However, to achieve this, an integrated urban design approach Is needed, alongside a forward-facing, long-term strategic outlook.
To successfully integrate emerging technology into new developments, maintaining an adaptive, flexible approach is key .But there’s also the question of adaptation of the established built environment itself – not least the space currently given over to off-highway car parking typified by Multi Story Car Parks (MSCPs).
Indeed, we are already seeing a transformation of the car parking sector, which is being brought about by a number of factors, including:
A move from ownership to usership
The increasing adoption of sustainable and active travel (especially in a post-pandemic era)
Widespread acceptance of the role of Mobility as a Service (MaaS), enabled by more sophisticated mobile app technology
The potential role of autonomous and connected vehicles
Alongside these factors, we are also seeing public policy promoting:
Ways to reduce congestion and emissions
A move away from the use of fossil fuels and the promotion of electric vehicles
An end to the domination of urban centres by retail in favour of a mix of uses
Car clubs and cycle use / hire
New mixed use developments face a challenge therefore, to try and balance what may be needed when the first elements of the development open, with what’s required in later phases. And this is perfectly illustrated when it comes to a development's car parking ratio. While car free (zero or minimal car park spaces) may not be appropriate in year one, when the development is completed in say 15 years time, private vehicle ownership may be an obsolete concept.
How can developers plan for the future?
Well, repurposing needs to be front of mind even during the original design of a development, and locking in flexibility is critical here. For example, including a layout which allows for access ramps to be replaced in the future with lifts, accommodating use change by making floors horizontal rather than giving them a slight tilt to ensure water runoff, and potentially wiring the whole structure.
But the even bigger questions is: if we no longer need car parks, how can we repurpose this space to benefit our urban areas? In 2014 the Royal Society of Arts recommended that retail car parks should also be used for pursuits like basketball, skateboarding and tennis. They could host temporary skating rinks, climbing walls and fun fair rides or even shipping containers in which workshops and courses could be held.
The future use for these spaces generates debate; if we were to cover all the car parks in Britain, it has been estimated that 1.2m homes could be built on top. But at what cost to the liveability of our neighbourhoods?
Instead of turning existing MSCPs into something else entirely, they can potentially be combined with other uses. Examples exist of where this is already happening. For instance, in Plymouth there are plans to develop the Harbour Car Park, adding a café and “living walls” made of plants.
A more contentious concept was put forward by the Gensler consultancy in Los Angeles to use parking garages as inexpensive housing for the homeless, in which “pods” – prefabricated units resembling containers – would be plugged into parking structures.
Closer to home, The Make Shift company built a hub for small businesses in a former garage in Brixton, while the Houston Medical Centre transformed its roof, replacing the car park, which stored solar heat, into a “zen garden” for staff and patients/carers.
Underground car parks are less easy to repurpose, however with the right design, warehousing and data centres are both possibilities.
The uses really are limited only by our imagination, and of course the prioritisation of perceived need, but one thing seems clear, the reign of the car park is nearing its end.
To discuss how we can help you understand future urban trends, get in touch at [email protected].
