How Parking Availability Shapes Entertainment and Leisure Time Choices in Cities

Parking availability affects more than just how we get from place to place – it also plays a significant role in the types of entertainment, dining, and leisure activities that thrive in different areas. When parking is readily available and convenient, it often favours certain types of businesses over others, influencing the leisure time choices of city dwellers.

Sprawling Surface Parking Enables Some Choices Over Others

In areas where large surface parking lots and multi-storey car parks are abundant, you’ll typically find businesses such as big box retailers, chain restaurants, gaming establishments like casinos such as gaming houses including Casino Just, and multiplex cinemas dominating the landscape. Free and easily accessible parking makes these types of automobile-focused businesses very convenient. However, small independent theatres, live music venues, art galleries, and locally-owned restaurants struggle to compete. Patrons are often more likely to choose businesses with abundant parking, even if other options better suit their tastes but lack convenient parking nearby.

Scarce, Expensive Parking Shapes a Different Mix

In contrast, in cities and neighbourhoods where parking is limited, scarce, or costly, a different mix of leisure and dining options tends to emerge. With fewer parking spaces available, businesses adjust to cater to pedestrians, cyclists, and public transport users. The options in these areas are more likely to include locally-owned boutiques, art galleries, intimate music venues hosting local talent, speciality dining spots, and cultural attractions. Some businesses even convert former parking spaces into outdoor seating areas. For these types of businesses, a single parking spot can generate over $100,000 in sales, compared to just $9,000 for a big box store or chain.

Type of Area and Typical Entertainment/Leisure Options:

• Abundant/Free Parking: Big Box Stores, Multiplex Cinemas, Chain Restaurants
• Scarce/Expensive Parking: Small Music Venues, Art Galleries, Specialty Dining

How Cities Can Shape Choices Through Parking Policies

Municipal parking policies – including minimum requirements, pricing, time limits, and availability – have a significant impact on the types of entertainment and leisure businesses that thrive. Cities can implement a range of strategies to influence this:

• Reduce or eliminate parking minimum requirements: This would allow more small, non-automobile-oriented businesses to open and thrive.
• Implement demand-based pricing for street or garage parking: By raising rates for longer stays, cities can discourage all-day parkers and free up spaces for shorter visits.
• Create parking benefit districts: These districts can use revenue from parking meters to fund local improvements such as pedestrian infrastructure and façade grants, rather than directing the funds to general city budgets.
• Build centralized public car parks instead of surface lots: Centralised parking reduces land used for parking, leaving more room for development and improving the overall urban landscape.
• Provide alternatives to driving: This includes reliable public transport, safe bike paths, and pedestrian-friendly spaces.

By making parking less abundant, more expensive, and more time-restricted, cities allow a broader range of entertainment, arts, culture, and dining establishments to flourish. This encourages people to visit a wider variety of venues, explore by multiple modes of transport, and interact in more dynamic urban spaces. With thoughtful parking policies, cities can foster vibrant areas where people have more choices for socialising, exploring, and connecting.

Connecting People and Community Through Flexible Parking Policies

Beyond urban planning, there is also an opportunity for cities to use parking policies to strengthen communities and promote social connections among diverse groups of people. Here are a few ways this can be done:

• Allow shared use of commercial or office parking spaces: These spaces could be made available for public use during evenings and weekends when business demand is low.
• Collaborate with places of worship and schools: Sharing their parking lots for public use when they’re not needed could reduce the need for more dedicated spaces.
• Encourage partnerships among small businesses: This would allow them to collectively meet parking requirements across several properties, rather than each having to provide their own spaces.

Flexible arrangements like these take advantage of the fact that many parking spaces remain unused for much of the day. By facilitating shared use, cities can make the most of limited space while also serving a greater range of needs. These initiatives can also encourage interaction among different groups, building stronger social ties that ultimately make cities more vibrant and functional.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, the availability and management of parking significantly influence the types of entertainment, dining, and leisure activities that thrive in urban areas. By implementing thoughtful parking policies that prioritise pedestrians, cyclists, and public transport, cities can foster vibrant spaces where diverse businesses flourish. Scarcity and cost of parking can encourage local, independent establishments, while flexible parking strategies promote community building and social interaction. Ultimately, cities that strategically manage parking can create dynamic environments that offer residents and visitors a wide range of opportunities to explore, connect, and enjoy a richer urban experience.