Also discussed here: ReThinking a Lot: The Design and Culture of Parking (184 pages, Eran Ben-Joseph, Amazon Hardcover, Feb 17, 2012]
Parking lots have existed since the days of the Roman empire but have multiplied in the last century with the rapid growth of cars that accompanied urban sprawl. We review a summary of a recent book by Eran Ben-Joseh who examines the history of parking lots and the way that they have evolved, pointing out the large environmental impact they have on urban landscapes as well as the possibilities for creative uses of
them.
Key Quotes:
“ there are now 600 million cars worldwide, and more than 500 million surface parking lots in the U.S. alone. In some cities, parking lots take up one-third of all land area”
“All of those paved spaces “increase runoff and affect watersheds,” create heat islands, increase glare and light pollution, and impact the “character” of our cities”
"While this country still leads with the highest numbers of cars per capita (814 per 1,000), Qatar and Australia are close behind. The Netherlands has the highest density of cars per square kilometer, with 246 vehicles per kilometer, followed by Japan and Belgium. China is the biggest concern, though. It’s estimated that in 2010 China had some 60 million cars occupying parking lots.”
“The average per-space parking lot cost is $4,000, with a lot in an above-grade structure costing $20,000 and a lot in an underground garage, $30,000-$40,000”
“With just 50 percent of that space covered with trees, this space could handle 2 billion cubic meters of stormwater runoff, generate 822,264 tons of oxygen, and remove 1.2 million tons of carbon dioxide annually”
“In 2009, some 700 parking spaces were designed as mini-parks in 21 countries and 140 cities”
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