Which is more conducive to a vibrant downtown—an abundance of inexpensive parking or a tighter, more expensive supply? Anyone who's lived in Chattanooga for more than a week has surely noticed that Republic Parking seems to charge by the hour for half of the real estate downtown. All these parking lots are surely helpful to our tourist economy, not to mention residents who enjoy yet can't afford to live downtown, but are they good for the a true live-work-play urban core?
The Times Free Press recently ran an article about the downtown revitalization of Greenville, South Carolina, spurred in large part due to the nearby BMW manufacturing plant. The article credits both the broad availability of cheap parking as well as a more pedestrian-friendly Main Street with drawing retail businesses and shoppers to the area. However, a recent column for the Saint Louis Beacon by Matthew Mourning argues that their downtown actually needs less parking, not more:
If St. Louis' long-ailing downtown is to escape the doldrums, the city needs to encourage a true pedestrian-friendly environment, with filled storefronts and people living and working atop them.
Mourning's column references a 1999 research study which claims to have discovered a golden ratio for the number of parking spots: "200 parking spaces per 1,000 employees downtown was the upper limit of a 'livable' city." Figures on Chattanooga's downtown parking ratio were not readily available, but anecdotal evidence from downtown workers indicates it is much higher than their recommended 1 to 5 ratio. Furthermore, new condo projects seem as auto-friendly as ever, often including 1-2 parking spots per unit, and developments such as the new Bijou are almost guaranteed to include their own parking structures. Will Chattanooga be able to create and sustain a liveable, pedestrian-friendly downtown?
John Hawbaker
David Peterson on Sept. 30, 2008
Good questions John. I've mulled some ideas and thoughts but don't yet have anything constructive to add.
Tiffanie Campbell on Oct. 3, 2008
I think this is a great question. I don't agree with the high fees we are paying just to park downtown. However, I do not have a solution either. But I would like to see our city leadership look in to this and do somethng about it.