Parking & Mobility | March 2025

SMART CITIES

Rethinking Urban Mobility

Robin Gulczynski

Matt Darst, JD

Shareena Sandbrook

Sarah Becherer

Smart Parking for Smart Cities

I N THE CONTEXT OF SMART CITIES, “smar t parking” refers to a system that uses technology to provide real-time information about available parking spaces. This allows drivers to quickly locate open spaces and reduces traffic congestion caused by people circling for parking, ultimately contributing to a more efficient urban environment.

Simple idea. Complex implementation.

Some parking operations are already there—sensors, cameras, data analytics, digital reservations, mobile payments—the list goes on. Many in our industry have been able to implement some or even all these smart parking concepts, bringing us ever closer to the smart city model. But what about parking operations that are not quite there yet? How can they adopt smart parking concepts and implement small changes on their timetables and budgets?

The March issue of Parking & Mobility focuses on smart cities. However, to resonate with every member of IPMI’s incredibly diverse parking and mobility community, we examined the topic from a unique perspective that shows small “smart” changes with potentially seismic results. A few of them include:

● Managing the curb to maximize results.

● Using smart digital signage to improve the user EV charging experience.

● Countering the adverse effects of the rise in e-commerce logistics through smart last-mile delivery controls.

● How smart city parking concepts can get people shopping locally again.

Among these “smart” stories is a study of the technological evolution of one of our own: the City of Virginia Beach takes us through its continuing smart city journey.

These feature stories and our monthly standing columns will undoubtedly have you thinking about the future of smart parking.

As authors and IPMI Technology Committee members Chris Perry, CAPP, and Andrew Sachs, CAPP, say in their column, “By aligning parking strategies with the principles of smart cities, the industry can provide data and services that create more efficient, user-friendly, and productive urban environments.”

And isn’t that the future we all want?

As always, thank you for being a part of our community and for spending some time learning with us. Let me know what you see as the next steps in the evolution of smart cities!

Melissa Rysak, editor rysak@parking-mobility.org

PUBLISHER

Shawn Conrad, CAE s.conrad@parking-mobility.org

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Melissa Rysak, CPSM rysak@parking-mobility.org

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Rachel Yoka, CAPP, LEED AP BD+C yoka@parking-mobility.org

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Embracing Change in Our Smarter Cities

By Carmen Donnell, CAPP

THE OTHER DAY I WAS COMMUTING TO MY OFFICE in Vancouver on one of the transit lines we have here, the West Coast Express (WCE). We approached the final station, and the train stopped; many of us were standing, ready to exit when the doors opened. But they didn’t. Typically, the doors open immediately to allow all the eager beavers to get to work. I think it was in the first few seconds that I subconsciously put my hand out to steady myself on the side of the train, as I instinctively knew that we had overshot (or undershot) our position and that the train was going to jolt in movement to readjust for us to exit. I didn’t realize I had done it until the next day when it happened again, and I noticed that most people very quickly did the same thing as I had done without thinking— two days in a row. We were all a bunch of trained train riders!

It got me thinking about the first time this happened to me. I can’t remember it precisely, as it was not that impactful at the moment, but I suspect it goes something like this: the train stops, and I expect the door to open, but it doesn’t; I wait, wondering what is going on; the train jolts to move into the correct position, and I stumble, maybe bumping the person next to me, maybe multiple people collide like falling dominos, maybe someone even falls over. Ok, probably not, as I would have remembered that, but you get the picture. This is a quick, otherwise unimportant moment. Still, we instinctively file this away in our subconscious so that the second or third time it happens, we naturally move to accommodate the previously learned experience.

What is the point of this story? Cities around us are changing rapidly. We see advancements in parking, transportation, and mobility from a technological, policy, and behavioral standpoint. These changes may make us uncomfortable, thinking, “What does this mean for me?” Some may have stronger feelings, fearful even, thinking, “How am I going to cope in this new way? Will I get left behind?” Some of us may be excited, but this thought piece isn’t meant for you...

The wonderful thing about the human inherent ability to not only survive but thrive is that we both consciously and unconsciously adapt to change very quickly. One or two experiences can shape how we react to the next encounter we may have of the same kind. We often put little to no conscious effort into accommodating change around us.

Think of your childhood neighborhood. Let’s assume you don’t live there anymore, and you go back to visit 20 years later. It will look wildly different, and you will likely immediately notice. You may not be able to place the specific differences, but you will absolutely know it’s different from what it once was. You weren’t part of the change; it happened without you, and you notice it’s different. Now think of where you live now, or perhaps where you lived for many years. Think of the building on the corner that is only two years old. What was there before, do you remember? Do you remember how the highway entrance and exit ramps were directing traffic five years ago before significant

improvement? I would put money down that you don’t remember and that something that likely created a decent amount of impact in your life many years ago has become almost entirely forgotten because you adapted to the new building, the new roadway, the new payment method at the grocery store, the new app on your phone, the new... you get the point. Let’s go back to the first story I told and ponder the rapid evolution of our cities. It’s more likely that with one or two interactions with the change around us, we will naturally learn to not only cope but thrive in

and evolve. Being part of the change will make it seem less disruptive, like our existing neighborhoods’ unnoticeable evolution, versus an unvisited childhood neighborhood dramatic change.

As part of the IPMI Board of Directors, I’m excited to be part of this month’s magazine. I want to learn more about what is happening around us right now and what we can expect to see in our own neighborhoods and cities in months or years to come. If you know of something cool and innovative in a city near you, please get in touch with me. I’d love to hear

What’s Driving Investment in the Parking Industry?

by Tim Maloney

INVESTORS ARE MAKING SIGNIFICANT MOVES in the parking industry, driven by a blend of innovation, widespread adoption by operators, and a fragmented market that signals the industry is on the brink of transformation and ripe for investment.

Emerging technologies are set to revolutionize how parking is managed, accessed, and monetized. These advancements have enhanced consumer experiences, making them more convenient and valuable than ever. At the same time, they improve efficiency, cut costs, and increase revenue potential. These innovations are reshaping the parking landscape, benefiting both consumers and operators alike.

Early parking investors capitalized on the opportunity and are now seeing remarkable success. This success has sparked a wave of new entrants eager to join this promising sector, marking the market’s shift toward a phase of rapid, exponential growth

Strong Car Ownership Signals Growth in Parking Market

Parking remains a stronghold in the mobility industry. The car is the number one mode of transit across the U.S. and Canada, with a combined 268 million drivers on the road.

Even with rideshare and public transit, 92% of U.S. households have one or more cars. Personal vehicles will remain a fixture of American mobility, but the way users interact with their cars is starting to change. With more ways to get around, the demand for convenience and mobile-driven experiences has surged. To stay competitive, parking operators must embrace technology that delivers a smart,

seamless, and user-friendly experience, aligning with modern expectations and standing out among transportation alternatives.

Luckily, there is a rising group of industry trailblazers developing the innovative technologies that parking operators need to stay competitive in a growing space.

Technological Innovations Spark Investment Interest

The trailblazers, which include notable innovators in intelligent camera technology, analytics platforms, and digital parking, are driving operator success and piquing the interest of investment groups.

Intelligent camera systems create operator flexibility by automating access, revenue control, and enforcement—all with fewer equipment and labor costs. They enable more accurate real-time occupancy counts and offer operators a way to streamline their online and offline revenue.

Insights from these intelligent cameras now feed into AI-powered analytics engines, where data from individual locations or entire portfolios can inform dynamic pricing, yield management strategies, and occupancy optimization. This rapidly evolving space has enabled operators to provide parkers with a seamless flow parking experience while also enhancing gated facilities, driving increases in profit margins

These data-driven pricing strategies reach consumers via digital parking platforms: parking reservation apps, point of interest platforms that offer navigational capabilities, and mobile payment options ranging from QR codes to links that arrive via text.

Several industry leaders pioneered the digital parking category. First, they gave operators access to a broader audience with a new way to advertise their

inventory. Now, the popular platforms have been integrated into Apple Maps, Google Maps, and Waze. Overnight, the user base of digital parking platforms rose by hundreds of millions.

Operators who were early (and proper) adopters of digital parking saw big financial lifts. Their success created a competitive edge and sparked interest beyond the parking industry.

Technology Adoption by Operators Pushes Industry to Transformational Tipping Point

Recognizing that they must adapt to stay alive, many operators have embraced technology adoption, reaching a threshold that is tipping investment into exponential growth.

Historically, investment in parking was limited to a niche group of mobility-focused investors. However, the investor pool has expanded dramatically. Venture capital and private equity, among others, now see parking technology and operators as a lucrative and high-growth sector.

Notable investments in recent years include Insight Partners funding SpotHero, LVMH investing in Flash, KKR acquiring the Parking Spot, Platinum and Icon Parking joining the Hudson Valley Parking Trust, EasyPark acquiring ParkMobile, and Metropolis acquiring SP+. In January, Reimagined Parking received a capital injection from a sovereign wealth fund based in Abu Dhabi (Mubadala Capital).

The success of early investors has only intensified interest in the space, with new entrants eager to claim a share of this exploding market. By 2027, global investment in parking technology alone is anticipated to reach $11.13 billion

As investors continue injecting capital into the parking sector, opportunities are expanding for technology startups, asset owners, and operators at regional and enterprise levels. These stakeholders can leverage innovation, optimize parking management, and explore new revenue streams, all while meeting the increasing demand for smarter, more efficient parking solutions.

What is the secret to thriving in a growing pie that everyone wants a slice of? Be an early adopter, stay ahead of trends, and set your sight s high. The right resources are available—you just have to know how to find them. ◆

TIM MALONEY is the Founder of Tim Maloney Advisory. He can be reached at tim@timmaloney.io

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Enhancing Urban Living

How Smart Cities Are Transforming the Parking Industry

By Christopher Perry, CAPP, and Andrew Sachs, CAPP

SMART CITIES HAVE EMERGED as a revolutionary approach to urban development, leveraging technology and data to improve residents’ quality of life while promoting sustainability and operational efficiency. Faced with challenges like traffic congestion, pollution, and aging infrastructure, cities worldwide are turning to smart technologies as a solution to help power an innovative new approach to urban planning. Among the many sectors impacted by this transformation, the parking industry stands out as a crucial player in shaping urban mobility and fostering environmental sustainability. This article delves into the essence of smart cities, their relationship with parking, the transformative role of cloud computing in parking operations, the importance of open-source parking and mobility data, and the challenges associated with implementing smart city strategies.

Understanding Smart Cities

A smart city plan leverages advanced technologies such as information and communication technologies (ICT) and the Internet of Things (IoT) to enhance urban operations and improve the quality of life for all stakeholders, be it commuters, residents, or tourists. The core objectives of smart cities include sustainability, which focuses on reducing carbon emissions, energy use, and pollution through efficient resource management and innovative technologies. Connectivity is another critical feature, as networks of sensors and devices collect and share real-time data, enabling proactive urban management. Community engagement is equally important, fostering twoway communication between residents and city officials to support participatory decision-making and responsive governance. These principles aim to create interconnected urban ecosystems where technology enhances transportation, energy efficiency, and public safety while prioritizing the development of cities that are functional, accessible, and welcoming to people. Parking is a cornerstone of urban mobility and a critical component of smart city ecosystems. As cities adopt innovative technologies to address modern challenges, the parking industry must evolve to meet the dynamic needs of residents and visitors. Parking facilities are a rich source of data, generating insights

on occupancy, usage patterns, and payment trends. By analyzing this information, cities can optimize parking resources, improve enforcement, and deliver seamless user experiences. For example, real-time data for all the parking facilities in a region can help reroute drivers to nearby parking facilities based on cost, availability, proximity to their destination, and traffic conditions.

The integration of advanced technologies such as cloud computing, automated systems, and mobile payments has already transformed parking management, yet this digital evolution is still in its infancy. Like the smartphone revolution, whose profound impact took nearly a decade to fully materialize across industries, we are just beginning to uncover the full potential of these technologies in reshaping parking management and enhancing urban life. This transformation presents an opportunity to rethink how parking solutions can directly contribute to building smarter, more efficient communities. While cloud-based platforms enable real-time communication between parking facilities, users, and city systems—boosting operational efficiency and customer satisfaction—there remains significant untapped potential. As the parking industry modernizes, a critical focus must be on how parking professionals collaborate with urban planners. By

aligning parking strategies with the principles of smart cities, the industry can provide data and services that create more efficient, user-friendly, and productive urban environments. This integration is key to ensuring that parking not only supports urban mobility but also actively contributes to a more sustainable and connected future.

The Importance of Open-Source Data in Mobility Systems

A critical element of advancing parking systems within smart cities is the move toward open-source data models. Traditionally, many systems operate within “walled gardens,” where data is siloed and proprietary, accessible only through the systems or vendors that control it. While this approach offers some level of control, it also creates significant challenges. Proprietary systems often lack compatibility with other technologies, creating inefficiencies and limiting the ability to integrate parking data into broader smart city ecosystems. Furthermore, vendor lock-in increases long-term costs and reduces flexibility, making it harder for operators to adopt innovations or switch providers. Closed systems also restrict how parking data can be shared or leveraged, stifling innovation in mobility solutions such as dynamic routing, multi-modal transit integration, or third-party parking aggregators.

Open-source data offers an alternative approach that aligns with smart city principles by promoting transparency and flexibility. It allows multiple stakeholders, including municipalities, private operators, and third-party developers, to collaborate on creating innovative mobility solutions. This fosters competition and leads to better services for users. With open-source models, parking systems can seamlessly integrate with other smart city platforms, enabling holistic urban mobility solutions. For example, parking availability data can be fed into navigation apps or used to inform public transit

scheduling. By eliminating vendor lock-in, open-source systems reduce long-term costs and empower cities to choose the best technologies for their needs. Open data models ensure that the valuable insights generated by parking systems are accessible for urban planning, congestion reduction, and sustainability improvements. However, it is essential to implement robust data security measures, including encryption, user access controls, and compliance with data protection regulations, to balance accessibility with security.

Cloud Computing and Its Impact on Parking

Cloud computing has revolutionized the parking industry by delivering scalable, efficient, and secure management solutions. It enables operators to automate processes at scale such as payments, occupancy monitoring, and reporting, significantly reducing manual intervention and minimizing errors. By supporting large-scale data analysis, cloud systems help uncover key trends and user behaviors, such as peak usage times, allowing operators to optimize pricing strategies and space utilization effectively. Furthermore, cloud technology seamlessly integrates parking with other urban systems like traffic management and public transit, fostering a holistic approach to urban mobility. These solutions are highly adaptable to evolving demands while providing robust data protection, ensuring user trust and regulatory compliance. Simply put, without cloud computing, the technological framework underpinning smart cities would not be viable.

Parking’s Contribution to Smarter Urban Living

The evolution of parking is no longer just about accommodating vehicles; it is now a cornerstone of sustainable urban living. As electric vehicles (EVs) and multimodal transportation become the norm, parking facilities must transform into integral parts of this ecosystem. Integrating EV charging stations is only the

beginning, complementing strategies like shared parking, multimodal connectivity, and innovative design that prioritize community needs are also part of this evolution.

Future parking design focuses on multimodal transportation, seamlessly connecting biking, walking, public transit, and ridesharing. By incorporating bike racks, scooter parking, and access to transit hubs, parking structures can encourage greener transportation choices, reducing traffic congestion and carbon emissions. Shared parking further enhances efficiency by enabling spaces to serve multiple purposes, such as a shopping center during the day and nearby residential or entertainment venues at night, optimizing usage while supporting the local economy.

Community engagement is key to the future of parking. Involving residents and stakeholders in the planning process ensures that solutions meet local needs and foster a sense of ownership. By embracing innovative strategies and technologies, parking can evolve into a vital component of interconnected, efficient, and sustainable urban ecosystems, enhancing the quality of life for all.

In summary, parking is at a crossroads, poised to redefine urban mobility. Through multimodal integration, shared solutions, and sustainability, parking facilities can become central to creating livable and forward-thinking cities.

Challenges of the Smart City Approach

While promising, smart city initiatives face significant challenges. Infrastructure, software, and training implementation costs can strain city budgets, particularly for smaller municipalities. Extensive data collection raises questions about transparency and user trust, while unequal access to technology risks excluding some residents from smart city benefits. Coordinating diverse systems within a smart city requires meticulous planning and collaboration, and stakeholders from all sectors, not just parking, may resist adopting new practices and technologies, slowing progress. Addressing these challenges will be key to achieving the full potential of smart cities and it is incumbent upon the parking industry to help blaze a path into a cohesive future.

Conclusion

The integration of smart city principles into the parking industry presents a transformative opportunity to redefine urban environments from cities to campuses for the better. As we stand at the intersection of technology and urban mobility, the parking sector is not just a facilitator of vehicle storage; it is a vital player in creating efficient, interconnected, and sustainable urban ecosystems. By embracing open-source data, cloud computing, and innovative design practices, we can enhance the functionality of parking operations, making them integral components of a smarter, more livable future.

However, the journey ahead is not without its challenges. The parking industry must confront the limitations of proprietary systems and ensure that data is accessible and usable across various platforms. We must also prioritize equitable access to smart technologies, ensuring that all community members can benefit from these advancements. This requires a concerted effort to foster collaboration among stakeholders, from city planners to technology providers, to create a cohesive vision for urban mobility.

Now is the time for everyone in the parking industry to step up and act. We can blaze a path toward a smarter future for our cities, university campuses, and communities. By leveraging the power of technology and innovative strategies, we can transform parking facilities into vibrant, multifunctional spaces that enhance urban living. Let us embrace this challenge and work together to create urban environments that are not only efficient and sustainable but also welcoming and inclusive for all residents. The future of our cities is in our hands. Through collaboration and innovation, the parking industry can help shape cities that are more livable and future-ready

CHRISTOPHER PERRY, CAPP , is the Senior Vice President of National Sales & Operations for Parking Base and a member of the IPMI Technology Committee. He can be reached at chris.perry@parkingbase.com

ANDREW SACHS, CAPP , is the President of Gateway Parking Services and a member of the IPMI Technology Committee. He can be reached at andrew@gpsparking.com

Reclaiming Bus and Bike Lanes

Using Automated Parking Enforcement to Boost Urban Mobility

By Matt Darst, JD

ILLEGAL PARKING IN BUS AND BIKE LANES I s a growing problem in cities worldwide, disrupting public transit, slowing buses, and making cycling more dangerous. When vehicles block these lanes, buses experience delays, leading to unreliable service and frustrated passengers. For cyclists, encroachments mean navigating parked cars, putting them at higher risk of accidents. These bottlenecks create a vicious spiral of inefficiency and danger—slower buses and unsafe bike lanes deter the use of alternate modes of transportation and thus encourage people to rely on private cars, worsening congestion and air pollution. Breaking this cycle is critical, and automated parking enforcement offers a practical solution. These systems can improve mobility, reduce traffic, and contribute to a more sustainable urban future by ensuring bus and bike lanes remain clear.

The Importance of Bus and Bike Lanes

Bus and bike lanes reduce congestion and promote sustainable transportation options. These dedicated lanes allow buses to avoid traffic, keeping public transit punctual and efficient. They also provide cyclists with safe, predictable routes, encouraging more people to cycle rather than drive. Both modes of transport are essential for reducing a city’s carbon footprint—buses offer a low-emission alternative to private cars, while cycling is one of the most environmentally friendly options available.

However, when these lanes are obstructed by illegally parked vehicles, they lose their effectiveness. Blocked bus lanes delay service, forcing buses into traffic, delaying bus travel by as much as 25%, and undermining the reliability that attracts riders. This frustrates passengers and leads to higher operational costs for transit agencies, which may be forced to reduce services or increase fares to compensate for inefficiencies. Similarly, cyclists forced to weave around parked

Illegal parking in bus and bike lanes creates a vicious cycle, deterring modal shift and driving an over-reliance on personal vehicles that undermines efforts to create more sustainable, efficient, and safe transportation systems.

cars face dangerous conditions. Sudden lane changes or the need to swerve into traffic increase the risk of accidents, and cyclists—who are already more vulnerable in the event of a collision—are at significant risk of injury or death.

As buses and cyclists are delayed or rerouted to avoid obstructing vehicles, overall traffic congestion increases, creating further delays for all road users. This frustration often leads to erratic driving behavior—speeding, unsafe lane changes, and distracted driving—putting pedestrians and other road users at risk. In short, blocked lanes create a cycle of inefficiency, danger, and environmental harm.

The Challenges of Enforcing Bus and Bike Lane Encroachment

Enforcing illegal parking in bus and bike lanes is notoriously difficult. Limited resources and manual enforcement often leave cities struggling to maintain consistent oversight. Parking enforcement officers are stretched thin, and it’s simply not feasible to have them patrolling every bus and bike lane in real-time. The lack of immediate consequences for illegal parking leads to a culture of non-compliance, with many drivers believing that they can park illegally without facing consequences. This uncertainty in enforcement only exacerbates the problem

Traditional enforcement methods, such as parking tickets issued by human officers, are resource-intensive and inefficient. The limited scope of manual enforcement makes it difficult for cities to clear lanes effectively and consistently, and violators often go unchecked.

A Solution: Automated Enforcement

Automated parking enforcement offers a much-needed solution to this problem. By deploying mobile or fixed cameras, automated systems can capture real-time

footage of parking violations in bus and bike lanes. These systems use advanced algorithms to identify and record violations, cross-reference vehicle information, and issue fines without the need for a parking officer to issue a citation in the field.

Monitoring and enforcing the rules for dedicated bus and bike lanes can involve several technologies, as seen in the figure on page 12.

The primary benefit of automated enforcement is the certainty it provides. Clear, verifiable evidence— such as photos of the violating vehicle and its license plate—ensures that fines are issued fairly and accurately. This helps remove ambiguity and increases compliance among drivers. The automated system also enables faster responses to complaints and requests for enforcement, meaning that bus and bike lanes can be cleared more quickly, minimizing delays for public transit and cyclists.

Furthermore, the system’s automated nature reduces operational costs associated with traditional enforcement methods, such as hours wasted searching for infractions, interactions with customer service agents, and costly hearings. Other expenses have both financial and

This infographic outlines the process of automated bus and bike lane enforcement: sensing cameras detect violations, AI and/or geofencing confirm them, human review ensures accuracy, notices are issued to offenders, and data analysis helps optimize traffic flow and policies.

environmental costs, like the production and transportation of paper ticket books and the fuel and emissions tied to deploying parking enforcement officers.

With fewer personnel required to monitor bus and bike lanes, cities can allocate resources to other critical areas where illegal parking poses the greatest challenges to health, safety, and congestion.

Using Data to Improve Enforcement and Efficiency

Automated enforcement clears lanes more efficiently and provides valuable data to refine enforcement strategies. By tracking parking violations, complaints, and traffic patterns, cities can identify high-violation areas and better deploy enforcement resources. Data from 911 and 311 calls can direct city vehicles to areas in greatest need, optimizing intervention where it’s most effective.

This data-driven approach creates a feedback loop: improved enforcement leads to fewer violations and less congestion, and the system can adapt as urban conditions evolve, making it a scalable solution.

Encouraging Sustainable Transportation Choices

Automated enforcement plays a key role in promoting

sustainable transportation. Keeping bus and bike lanes clear ensures buses operate efficiently and cyclists travel safely, enhancing the appeal of public transit and cycling. These modes of transport are more environmentally friendly than private cars—buses emit fewer greenhouse gases per commuter, and cycling produces no emissions. By prioritizing these options, automated enforcement supports a shift from cars to more sustainable transportation, reducing parking demand and lowering road congestion.

Reducing Traffic Congestion and Improving Air Quality

Beyond improving transit reliability, automated enforcement helps reduce traffic congestion, a major source of air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Delays caused by illegal parking and cyclists forced into traffic lanes worsen congestion and pollution. Automated enforcement minimizes these delays by ensuring bus and bike lanes remain clear, allowing buses to stay on schedule and cyclists to avoid dangerous detours.

Fewer cars on the road lead to lower emissions and cleaner air. Reducing congestion also reduces vehicle idling, one of the most significant contributors to pollution. When traffic flows more smoothly, emissions decrease, benefiting air quality and supporting urban sustainability goals.

A Scalable, Cost-Effective Solution

One of automated enforcement’s most attractive features is its scalability. Mobile cameras mounted on city vehicles or transit buses can be deployed dynamically, focusing on areas with the highest rates of violations. This flexibility allows cities to address enforcement needs as they arise without the high upfront costs associated with fixed-location cameras.

Moreover, cities are already expanding automated enforcement beyond bus and bike lanes to include parking meter violations and other infractions. By automating the detection of these violations, cities can ensure better compliance with all parking regulations, further reducing congestion and improving traffic flow. This leads to less vehicle idling and, ultimately, lower emissions.

Additionally, the streamlined enforcement process allows cities to use urban space more efficiently. By ensuring that parking spaces are properly utilized, cities can reduce the need for drivers to circle around searching for available spots, which further contributes to reduced congestion and cleaner air.

Conclusion: A Smarter, Greener Future

Automated enforcement offers a powerful tool for improving urban mobility and sustainability. By keeping bus and bike lanes clear, these systems not only enhance the reliability of public transit and make cycling safer but also encourage a shift away from private car use, reducing congestion and lowering emissions. As cities face the challenges of climate change and growing populations, solutions like automated enforcement can help create a more sustainable, efficient urban environment. By embracing these technologies, cities can build smarter, greener communities that prioritize sustainability, reduce environmental impact, and improve the quality of life for all residents.

MATT DARST, JD , is the Head of Professional Services for Trellint, a Modaxo Company, and a member of the IPMI Allyship & Equity Committee. He can be reached at matt.darst@trellint.com

The Vital Role of Data Ownership

By Shareena Sandbrook

TWe see more and more new technological developments that are designed to improve efficiency, improve the user’s experience, enhance revenue, minimize expenses, and, importantly, provide actionable insights into parking policy and decision-making.

If you know me, you’ll likely already know this, but there’s one aspect at the heart of this transformation that I feel very passionate about. It’s a hugely valuable asset that’s often overlooked: data ownership.

Look, I cannot say this enough—the principle of ensuring that you retain full ownership of your data is foundational to future-proofing business strategies and maintaining control over operations. I read a white paper a while ago by the World Economic Forum that clearly articulated the immense value of data and how it has singularly become the most valuable resource in the world due to its immense economic and strategic value. I will say it again; I am a huge advocate for businesses never having to compromise on data ownership.

Why Data Ownership Matters

Data is the lifeblood of most modern operations. For the parking industry, this may mean understanding who is using your facilities, when they are coming, how long they are staying, who is or isn’t paying for their parking, and so on.

Ownership of this data allows businesses to make informed choices, create customized experiences, and plan for the future with a real-time understanding of patterns and behaviors. Losing control over such valuable information is basically losing control over a fundamental part of your business.

Imagine a situation where, after investing time and resources into building a data-rich parking system, your technology provider decides to hold your data hostage, making you renew contracts just to keep access. This approach not only locks you into a provider’s ecosystem but also limits your ability to leverage insights freely.

HERE IS NO DOUBT ABOUT IT, the parking management industry is rapidly evolving, and I’m really excited to be part of the business at the moment.

The Dangers of Data Dependence

Many companies in this industry leverage a “lock-in” type model that’s based on data dependence. This model can lead to issues with both flexibility and independence. With data locked away, any strategy shift or transition to a new system can be challenging. If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a million times in a variety of ways—in essence, changing providers can feel impossible when data ownership becomes involved. Make sure that you are checking the fine print and not locking your data into one of these types of models.

Inspiring Confidence Through Data Freedom

When you own your data, you also own the ability to change, grow, and build upon it in ways that best serve your objectives. This kind of autonomy is critical to long-term success. Data freedom means just that. Your business is future-ready and unencumbered by data restrictions. This allows you unrestricted access to data, you can confidently strategize and adapt, unburdened by concerns of losing critical information to outdated contracts or parking systems.

The Future of Parking Management Begins Here

The future of parking management is bright, especially for those who place value on data ownership. It’s an era where technology and insights power business success without compromise, and where owners and operators can expect true autonomy over the information they rely on daily.

Because in the end, it’s not just about parking cars; it’s about empowering businesses to steer their own course, build on their data, and shape their future with confidence.

So, the next time you go to “sign on that dotted line” maybe you should double-check the data ownership provisions. Because ultimately, owning your data is owning your future success. ◆

SHAREENA SANDBROOK is the CEO of Frogparking. She can be reached at shareena@frogparking.com

Amplifying Voices

How Parking Marketers Can Foster Equity with Storytelling

By Sarah Becherer

The Power of Equitable Storytelling

As a marketer, one thing that I love to tell people about my discipline is that marketing is fundamentally about connection Good storytelling engages, inspires, and humanizes companies, transforming faceless, unrelatable entities into values-driven communities of human beings.

This applies, of course, to the promotion of products and services. But looking at this through the lens of allyship and equity, we can say that marketers in the parking industry—by the interconnected, cross-functional, collaborative nature of what we do—have the power to better our workplaces through narrative

We can foster equity by showcasing the people behind the products, especially those in non-executive roles who work behind the scenes. Showcasing these stories has two benefits: we drive business value and help build a more inclusive, equitable, and supportive culture and industry overall.

Examples of Equity in Marketing

The “Employee Spotlight” campaign is a popular example of equitable storytelling. This simple campaign is built around a blog post, video, or interview of an employee discussing their experiences and contributions related to their employer. How do you start if you want to get something like this off the ground?

First, marketers should conduct an internal content audit to review the types of individuals represented in campaigns today. It’s common to focus heavily on high-level

leadership or specific “front of the house” departments, like sales or client success, because executive visibility is a powerful lever for marketers to pull, and founder stories are compelling. The goal is this audit is not to replace executive thought leadership marketing but rather to supplement the overarching marketing strategy with more people-first tactics that focus on historically underrepresented cohorts.

Next up, it’s time to build the actual campaign. This means deciding how often you publish, what platforms you use, and what results and feedback to gather. Creating a mechanism through which employees can volunteer or nominate teammates to be featured in the campaign is key. Don’t make it overly complicated but do recognize that instilling some rigor around submissions will make it easier for marketing to fill and manage the content pipeline.

In good human-centric corporate content, the company’s broader objectives support and endorse the individual’s contributions. For example, I once wrote an “origin story” piece about my colleague, Leo Connelly, who has worn many hats (all of which have Boston sports logos on them) since his days as a founding member. He originally came to one of our co-founders wanting to be a UX Designer. Our co-founder said, well, we don’t need that at the moment, but we do need parking attendants— to which Leo replied, “Absolutely. Count me in.”

Today, he’s a key member of our engineering team, shaping the product immensely over its multiple iterations. Leo’s “find out what needs to get done and do it” spirit exemplifies one of

our company’s core values: sacrifice is an investment Spotlighting this one extraordinary person in a marketing campaign allowed me to tell the bigger story of how our people go above and beyond for our partners and each other.

Challenges In Equitable Storytelling

Let’s take a moment to talk about a few challenges associated with equitable storytelling.

“Marketing tokenism” is the superficial inclusion of underrepresented groups to give the appearance of allyship and equity without actually integrating diverse perspectives and experiences into the marketing campaign Equitable storytelling empowers; it doesn’t exploit.

Marketers conducting employee interviews to spotlight them in campaigns need to ensure that their guiding questions focus on the individual’s experiences, contributions, and aspirations rather than solely on their identity.

Here are some recommendations for questions that clear the bar:

1 . Can you share a bit about your journey at [company]?

2 . What motivates you to excel at [company]?

3 . What accomplishments or projects are you especially proud of at [company]?

4 . How does your background shape your approach to work at [company]?

5 . What skills or experiences have been most valuable in your role at [company], and how have you developed them?

6 . Are there ways in which [company] has supported your growth?

Another challenge to flag is that it can be difficult for marketers to convince leadership that investing in equity-based brand and content marketing makes good business sense. To secure stakeholder buy-in, marketers will have to identify ways to track and measure the impact of narrative campaigns and tie them to company goals. They can root their pitch in three “W”s: web traffic, word of mouth, and workforce

Here’s an informal way that I’d tee up the conversation:

“Our company wants to be known for creating good, useful content because creating good, useful content reinforces that we’re a credible, trustworthy partner.”

Following up with some points along the lines of:

● By the numbers, our human-centric storytelling content performs better than other social media and email campaign content types. It drives more web traffic and increases metrics like pages-per-visit, time-on-site, content downloads, email sign-ups, and meetings booked with our salespeople.

● Pages and sites that are frequently updated are more likely to rank well, so we should post fresh blog content two to four times per month. “Employee Spotlight” blog posts that focus on an individual’s experience with our company and industry are, by nature, dense with parkingspecific keywords that will give us a leg up on the search engine results page.

● Our goal is to continue to grow our business through word of mouth and social proof rather than razzle-dazzle marketing campaigns that our potential partners aren’t interested in. What our partners are interested in is the actual value that we deliver. Our company can deliver unique value because of the people who work here.

● Equitable storytelling helps enrich our workforce by attracting talent with a variety of backgrounds, experiences, and identities. Creating and promoting authentic content about team members from all corners of our community will increase the number of applications from diverse candidates and raise employee retention rates.

Wrapping Up

Successful marketing is a superconnector. In parking, a sector so reliant on back-end operations, equitable storytelling bolsters the expertise and accomplishments of people in lower-visibility roles whose work is essential to keeping our industry’s motor running. Marketers are uniquely positioned to create positive business outcomes: higher traffic, more substantial competitive differentiation, and a more supportive and inclusive workplace. ◆

SARAH BECHERER is the VP Marketing for Ocra, and a member of the IPMI Allyship & Equity Committee. She can be reached at sarah@getocra.com

Midsouth Transportation & Parking Association

Join Us at the 2025 MSTPA Annual Conference in Atlanta, GA!

THE MIDSOUTH TRANSPORTATION & PARKING ASSOCIATION (MSTPA) is thrilled to invite you to our 2025 Annual Conference, taking place May 5–8, 2025, in Atlanta, Georgia

This premier event brings together industry leaders, innovators, and professionals from colleges, municipalities, airport operators, private parking operators, parking consultants, and vendors to explore the future of parking and transportation.

Why Attend?

● Network with a diverse community of experts and peers.

● Discover the latest trends, technologies, and solutions in parking and transportation.

● Engage in informative sessions, panels, and workshops led by industry thought leaders.

● Showcase your organization’s contributions and learn from others in the field.

Whether you’re a seasoned professional or new to the industry, the MSTPA Annual Conference provides unparalleled opportunities for collaboration, innovation, and growth.

Mark your calendar and make plans to join us in Atlanta for this impactful event!

For more information or to secure your spot, please visit mstpa.org or contact us at info @ mstpa.org

We look forward to seeing you in 2025! ◆

ACROS S Answers on page 58

3. One method of payment for parking

5. Common theme discussed at transportation conferences

7. Essential part of urban planning discussed

9. Alternative form of transport featured at such conferences

10. Technology used to manage vehicle flow

11. Popular public transit system in Atlanta

13. Venue often used for conferences

DOWN

1. An environmentally friendly vehicle option

2. Main goal of parking management

3. City hosting the 2025 parking and transportation conference

4. Attendees of this conference might work in this sector

6. A type of parking structure discussed at conferences

8. A challenge that parking planners aim to solve

12. Major U.S. region where this conference takes place

Register Now!

How are smart city parking innovations improving our communities?

EXPERTS ASK THE

As our urban areas transition to the smart cities of the future, traditional inefficient and limited parking systems are evolving into smart parking operations. How are smart city parking innovations reshaping urban centers, increasing sustainability, and improving the quality of life in our communities?

Scott Petri President Mobility Parking Advisors, LLC

By focusing on customer expectations and conveniences through technology, parking operators are separating their facilities from those that have not deployed new technology, creating customer goodwill, capturing occupancy data, and easing the travel arrangements for their patrons. “

Josh Kavanagh, CAPP

Assistant

Vice Chancellor,

Transportation & Activation

Operations Management & Capital Program,

University of California, San Diego

Smart parking enables more market segmentation. Parking operators, whether commercial or municipal, will need to understand what outcomes are most important to their stakeholders and will have the opportunity to provide more tailored solutions. That could mean differentiated products or differentiated pricing. Ideally, this would work like a reversevalidation program that identifies specific users (via plate, credit card, or app) on arrival and presents specific solution upon arrival rather than discounting upon departure. This is an existing practice at some facilities that can scale as parking systems become smarter and overlays to share consumer information among destinations and multiple operators become more common.”

Perry Eggleston, DPA, CAPP

Executive Director

University of California, Davis

Cities, universities, and other parking operators are no longer able to rely upon the parker to find mobility options or parking availability. Transportation is becoming more of an IOT sending those same options to their fingertips. This paradigm is inverting, and we must price and allocate appropriately.”

Ali Khaksar President TagMaster North America, Inc.

Smart city parking innovations leverage AI-driven vehicle identification, real-time data, and automated access control to reduce congestion, lower emissions, and enhance urban mobility. By integrating advanced LPR and RFID solutions, cities optimize parking efficiency, improve sustainability, and create seamless experiences for drivers. These advancements transform urban centers into more accessible, environmentally friendly, and connected spaces.”

Benjamin Sands

Manager,

Parking Planning and Operations WGI

Smart cities are improving customer experience by adopting new parking operations and technologies including demand-based pricing, mobility services integration, flexible curb management, occupancy monitoring, directed enforcement, frictionless access, and advanced AI analytics, among others. These innovations will play a large role in transforming the parking experience and reshaping urban centers, while improving efficiency, sustainability, and overall quality of life.”

Cameron Lang Sales Manager US HotSpot Parking, a Product of Arcadis

With less and less physical hardware required for these smart parking operations, it opens the door for cleaner, less obstructed sidewalks and parking lots and for more use of the extremely intelligent device in almost all our pockets (the smartphone). Utilizing software from remote areas allows for easier upgrades and maintenance at a fraction of the cost compared to similar work to a physical meter or pay station. This is future-proofing the parking industry and providing unique opportunities for those seeking jobs in the world of technology.“

John Gemza Product Specialist – Insights ParkMobile

As urban areas evolve into smart cities, parking innovations are leading the way on how cities use and manage public space. New innovative platforms use advanced technologies, including lidar sensors and machine learning, to gather real-time data that helps cities make informed decisions about policy, planning, new developments, and operations, optimizing parking availability. Beyond convenience, these innovations promote sustainability by reducing emissions and creating smarter policies. With better data, parking becomes more convenient, timesaving, and helps create sustainable urban environments.”

Where Did

Melonie Curry Senior Staff Analyst

City of Houston, Texas (ParkHouston)

Decision making has shifted from the parking program being determined solely by statues, location and infrastructure. Smart operators are now using technology to make data-driven decisions paired with stakeholder engagement.”

Smar t Cities

By Victoria Wallace

Why Aren’t People Shopping in Cities Anymore?

Because it’s a hassle.

Today, shopping in the city feels like a major effort. It’s not that people don’t want to shop in person – but the experience has become too inconvenient. Parking is a nightmare. Finding the product you’re searching for is hit or miss, and the sheer effort of carrying heavy shopping bags through crowded streets doesn’t feel worth it when you can get everything delivered to your doorstep with a few taps on your phone.

Let’s say I’m a customer, excited to head into the city to shop for an outfit for my sister’s summer wedding. But then reality kicks in.

First, parking. Will I find a spot? And if I do, how far will I have to walk? I can already picture myself circling the block a few times, growing more frustrated by the second.

Then, the shopping itself. Where do I even start? What if I can’t find an outfit I like? What if the store is sold out of my size? I’ll just be wasting time, walking in and out of shops aimlessly, hoping to stumble upon the perfect thing.

Best case? I find a great outfit, everything fits, and I purchase multiple items on the

What Does a Smart City Look Like?

Building a smart city starts with a simple question: What does the customer want? Convenience, efficiency, instant gratification, the ability to plan ahead, and seamless travel.

Imagine stepping into the city with everything already taken care of. Your parking space? Prebooked and waiting. Your shopping? Already browsed and bought online, with your chosen items available for easy pickup, or better yet, delivered straight to your car. Your evening plans? A few taps on your phone and your dinner reservation, movie tickets, and event passes are ready and waiting for you.

In a smart city, the boundaries between digital and physical blur. Customers move effortlessly from booking parking and browsing products online to enjoying immersive in-store experiences and events, and all interconnected with technology. It’s about delivering easy, simple, seamless, frictionless, and automated products and services—everything you want when you want it.

People expect to lie in bed, order a burger, and have it delivered in 10 minutes. This need for speed is becoming the standard across all industries, and smart cities must also meet customers’ “I want it now” demands. Whether it’s instant booking for parking, reservations at events, or seamless service access, speed and efficiency are at the core of the smart city experience.

This is all delivered in a smart city platform: a single digital space where retailers, restaurants, venues, event organizers, and transport providers come together. Each business has its own login and dashboard, enabling it to manage its profile, update availability, showcase offers, and engage directly with customers. Instead of fragmented, individual services, visitors experience a truly connected city where everything is cohesive, making their journey effortless and more rewarding.

An Airport-Like Experience, but for the City.

Think about visiting an airport. No one turns up just hoping for the best. You check in online, prebook luggage options, lounge, and fast track, and get real-time updates on flights and services. Your goal is clear: get through the terminal efficiently and board your plane.

Now, apply that logic to a city with customer journeys encompassing parking, shopping, dining, and entertainment, all while easily navigating the city. They want to know what’s available, what’s convenient, and how they can fit everything into their schedule before they even arrive. Perhaps they don’t know their city well and want to know what’s available. Maybe school is out, and they’re looking for child-friendly activities in the city. Or, they could even have a disability and need easy and quick access to information regarding accessible routes or nearby toilets.

An integrated smart city platform makes all this possible. It’s a digital space where retailers, parking operators, transportation providers, restaurants, venues, and event organizers come together to create a frictionless experience for visitors.

Unlocking Opportunities at Every Touch Point

Instead of juggling multiple apps or websites or going into the city on a whim, customers can book parking, browse stores, preorder products, and reserve a restaurant table on one platform. They might log in to secure a parking spot, only to realize they can also check in-store availability, place an order for pickup, or take advantage of exclusive discounts at nearby retailers. Essentially, the city becomes a connected experience rather than a series of fragmented errands.

Parking

Few things are as frustrating as parking in a busy city. You drive in circles searching for a spot, pull into a lot only to find it full, and sit in a queue with your engine idling, wasting valuable time you could spend shopping, dining, or enjoying yourself. It’s one of the top reasons people avoid visiting the city altogether. If parking feels like too much effort (and public transportation feels stressful), people simply won’t come.

Of course, if you could guarantee a space before you even leave home, it would change things, right?

A smart city platform with integrated parking reservations takes the guesswork out of parking, making the entire experience stress-free and seamless.

Imagine having access to an interactive map to view available spaces near the shopping mall you’re visiting, compare prices, and reserve a spot in advance. Route planning is easy—the platform directs you to your space via the quickest route, and there’s no need to scrape around for change; you’ve checked the cost and paid in advance. Even better, if you’re visiting the city off-peak, you’re rewarded with a parking discount, and if the parking lots are overcrowded, you’re incentivized with a discount to use public transportation instead.

When simplified parking stops being a barrier and starts being an enabler, helping people spend less time searching for a spot and more time enjoying the city experience.

Retail and Commerce

Shopping in the city should be effortless, but 9 times out of 10, it isn’t. A smart city platform changes this by putting technology at customers’ fingertips, making their visit seamless, convenient, and rewarding.

In a smart city, the boundaries between digital and physical blur. Customers move effortlessly from booking parking and browsing products online to enjoying immersive in-store experiences and events, and all interconnected with technology.

But it’s not just about planning; it’s about personalization and efficiency. With an integrated suggestion engine, smart city platforms can deliver personalized product or service recommendations based on what the customer has already browsed or prebooked.

Customers love to customize and personalize. They scrutinize everything.

Smart city platforms cater to this by offering tailored recommendations and constant real-time updates, ensuring consumers feel seen and heard at every touchpoint. This delivers an engaging, personalized shopping experience and provides valuable upselling and cross-selling opportunities for retailers, restaurants, and facility providers.

Moreover, with smart technology, like AR/VR tools,

customers can preview how furniture fits in their home or how clothing looks before stepping into a store, meaning no more wasted trips or second-guessing. Instead, wellinformed, purchasing decisions with confidence.

It’s about ensuring customers get what they want, when they want it, and without the hassle.

Public Transportation

Every city requires an efficient public transportation system to meet the travel demands of its residents and attract visitors. However, when multiple providers operate in silos across various systems, numerous challenges arise. These include misaligned travel schedules, which can lead to delays, increased commute times, and incompatible ticketing systems, creating frustration and increased passenger costs. In fact, if urban public transportation isn’t easy, efficient, and affordable, residents and visitors are even more likely to drive themselves, resulting in underutilized public

By combining buses, trains, and ridesharing into a single, unified platform, passengers can plan, book, and enjoy stress-free multimodal travel.

transportation, higher costs, increased traffic congestion, overcrowded parking lots, and ultimately, more emissions.

But what if everything was connected? By combining buses, trains, and ridesharing into a single, unified platform, passengers can plan, book, and enjoy stress-free multimodal travel.

What would this look like for a passenger? The peace of mind of realtime updates on delays, cancellations, and the fastest routes. One app, one ticket, eliminating confusion. The opportunity to travel your way, with a system offering tailored recommendations based on your preferences for the quickest route, a quieter ride, or even the most eco-friendly option. And the bonus of rewards for being a regular city commuter, earning loyalty points for using public transportation, and being a greener traveler.

With prebook ticketing and easy route planning, more people will use public

transportation, reducing congestion and emissions, freeing up parking, and making the city cleaner and more accessible for all.

Turning Convenience into Revenue

We’ve explored how transforming fragmented city experiences into a seamless, connected journey benefits customers. But what about the businesses and service providers that make up the city, such as retailers, restaurants, event organizers, parking operators, and transport providers?

The key to unlocking sustained revenue growth lies in empowering customers to control their convenience, and, in turn, empowering cities to control their revenue.

Smart cities of the future not only monetize the experience but also the data that these experiences generate. With a smart city platform, every touchpoint provides valuable data, from customer

preferences and peak times to travel patterns. This data empowers smart city providers to optimize pricing, tailor promotions, and create personalized offerings, adjusting rates in real-time based on demand, customer behavior, or even individual purchasing history to maximize revenue.

For instance, cities can use dynamic pricing to adjust rates in real-time based on demand, customer behavior, or even past preferences. Imagine transport fares that rise during rush hour or when a customer is more likely to book a ride based on their usual pattern. This helps cities optimize peak times to maximize earnings.

Beyond just insights, a centralized platform enables smarter customer communication by tapping into real-time data. Through WiFi data capture, QR codes, and feedback systems, cities can gather first-party data to create personalized recommendations, exclusive offers, and targeted incentives. For example, imagine walking down the street and getting an offer straight to your phone for a nearby store or restaurant you’re likely to enjoy, based on your past shopping habits. It’s not just about generating revenue from a single transaction but also about making customers feel known and valued as individuals and building trust and loyalty in the process.

The result? A more dynamic, profitable city experience that not only attracts visitors but keeps them coming back. A city-wide loyalty program could reward customers for spending at local businesses, driving repeat visits and cementing the habit of choosing the city over online shopping.

The Key to Adoption: Trust and Transparency

For smart cities to thrive, a considered and responsible approach to collecting and using data must be taken. Transparency is

Earning customers’ trust is crucial for adoption. A smart city only works if people use it, and they will only do so if they feel safe doing so.

key. Visitors need to know how their data is being used and feel confident that it is being handled securely and ethically.

Compliance with state data protection laws and relevant federal regulations is nonnegotiable. Implementing clear, transparent data usage policies, combined with robust security measures, ensures that smart city systems respect privacy while optimizing services for both businesses and customers.

Earning customers’ trust is crucial for adoption. A smart city only works if people use it, and they will only do so if they feel safe doing so. By prioritizing data security, compliance, and transparency, cities can build an experience that is not only seamless and convenient but also trusted and secure.

Revenue Follows Experience

When customers have the convenience they crave, they spend more, visit more frequently, and stay longer. By connecting the city digitally, businesses and service providers can tap into new revenue streams, optimize pricing strategies, and create a city experience that feels engaging, effortless, and rewarding.

A Smarter City, One Step at a Time

While exciting, it’s worth remembering that transforming a city into a seamless, connected experience doesn’t have to be overnight or all-or-nothing. A smart city platform can be built in stages, gradually enhancing convenience and experience while businesses and customers adapt.

Start simple, introducing a parking reservation system that instantly removes one of the biggest pain points for customers— finding a parking space, giving them the confidence to drive into the city.

Then, expand the experience. For instance, you could introduce a city-wide interactive map showcasing shopping malls, retailers, and restaurants to help people plan their visits in advance. Next, you can map out activities and events in the city, creating a comprehensive digital guide of everything it has to offer.

From there, deeper integrations unlock even more convenience for customers, and revenue for providers. Think restaurant reservations, event bookings, and even real-time retail inventory, so customers can browse products and pre-order them for collection with ease.

Each step towards convenience makes the city more attractive, amplifying the customer experience and making visits easier, more enjoyable, and ultimately more frequent. Pre-booked parking removes a major travel barrier. An interactive map simplifies wayfinding. Restaurant reservations, event bookings, and preorder retail transform a disjointed visit into a seamless experience.

Transforming Cities into Connected Ecosystems

At its core, a smart city is more than just a place—it’s a curated experience and a connected ecosystem where every element, from parking and transportation to shopping, dining, and entertainment, works in harmony to provide convenience, efficiency, and personalization.

The future is fast, and it’s creeping up very quickly. As consumer expectations continue to evolve, the need for speed and seamless integration into urban experiences is no longer a luxury, but a necessity. This transformation means we’re no longer focusing on mere transactional tasks. We’re curating and participating in an immersive journey, where digital and physical touchpoints must join to tell a story and create a space where people can thrive, connect, and experience a city that’s dynamically designed around them. ◆

VICTORIA WALLACE is the Chief Digital Officer of Rezcomm. She can be reached at victoria.wallace@ rezcomm.com

I’ll Never Buy an Electric Vehicle Again… Because of Parking

By Robin Gulczynski

Lots

AFTER WEEKS OF RESEARCH AND COMPARISON , I finally chose an all-new electric vehicle. It promised a greener future, silent rides, and reduced worries - at least, that’s what I naively thought.

The day I finally got to take possession of my new acquisition, I felt like a kid in front of a Christmas tree. I spent hours exploring all the features, admiring the sleek design, and already picturing myself behind the wheel, cruising the roads with a tranquil eco-consciousness.

The First EV Journey

The big day arrived. I set off on a trip with my family. I checked the vehicle’s electric charge and ensured everything was ready for my maiden voyage. With a big smile, I took my place behind the wheel and headed off into the adventure.

Halfway to my destination, a red light suddenly appeared on the dashboard: critical battery level. I remembered the need to recharge the batteries but hadn’t anticipated the pit stop.

Looking for an EV Charging Station

Panicked, I activated my GPS to find the nearest EV charging station. With relief, I saw that there was a parking lot offering EV charging stations just a few miles away. But the joy was short-lived when I arrived on-site: all the stations were occupied

I sat there, hands clenched on the wheel, feeling frustration rising within me. Why did everyone have to decide to charge their electric cars at the same time as me? Was it a conspiracy against newcomers to the electric vehicle world?

I began to consider all sorts of desperate solutions. Could I convince a stranger to unplug their car for me? Could I tow my car like a giant handcart until the next available station?

There was nothing left to do but wait. Frustrated.

But what if I told you that what I just recounted isn’t my story?

This is the story of millions of electric vehicle owners across North America. Stories of frustration, anxiety, and sometimes even despair in the face of parking lots not optimized for electric vehicles.

But today, I challenge you: what if we, actors in the parking industry, decided to rewrite this story together?

Let’s imagine a new way to secure your charging slot

Before leaving home, I book an electric charging spot on my phone via a dedicated app. I select the charging station, choose my time slot, and confirm my reservation. It’s almost too easy.

Upon arriving at the parking lot entrance, the system detects my vehicle’s license plate. As if by magic, a digital signage kiosk woke up, illuminating my path to the available charging spot I had reserved.

Upon reaching the parking spot, a screen placed above warmly welcomes me. It shows my reservation slot with my license plate, confirming that this is indeed the spot.

The solution? Connected digital signages.

Parking managers and operators can install digital signage with real-time content to improve the user experience by tailoring solutions to electric vehicles, dynamic pricing, or other needs.

The Benefits of an Integrated and Turn-Key Approach

The advantage of a turnkey solution lies in its digital signage software, which allows remote control of the screens. Innovative digital signage software gives operators total autonomy in managing their parking screens. Thanks to the application, they can display real-time content, whether it’s parking rates, weather forecasts, travel times, information on nearby mass transit, or even advertisements. This variety of content aims to enhance the visitor experience, foster loyalty, and increase parking profitability.

Electric Vehicles in the Parking Industry

While the benefits of integrated and turnkey digital signage solutions are clear, the future of parking facilities goes beyond just technology. To gain deeper insight into how electric vehicles and technological advancements are reshaping the parking industry, we spoke with Jerome Lefevre, CEO of System TV. His vision highlights the challenges and the transformative potential of modern parking facilities.

What

will parking facilities look like in the coming years with the rise of electric vehicles?

Tomorrow’s parking facilities will become multifunctional hubs where every aspect is optimized for mobility. Imagine parking facilities with smart charging stations and dynamic signage systems guiding drivers to available spots in real-time. Beyond parking, these spaces could offer additional services like coworking areas or logistics centers for last-mile deliveries. They’ll become a critical piece in the puzzle of smart cities.

Jerome Lefevre, CEO of System TV

What are the most pressing challenges for parking operators facing widespread electrification?

Balancing the growing demand with the availability of infrastructure is a real challenge. Installing charging stations is just the first step, but their maintenance, accessibility, and dynamic pricing are just as critical. Another major challenge is adapting quickly to user behaviors: anticipating usage spikes, managing wait times, and ensuring charging stations remain appealing to a diverse clientele, from individuals to professionals.

How can frustration related to accessing charging stations be reduced?

Frustration often stems from a lack of visibility and planning. Digital tools can help by allowing drivers to reserve a charging station ahead of time or displaying real-time infrastructure status. But that’s not all— transparent pricing and accessible customer support are equally important. The more users feel supported, the less they’ll see these situations as obstacles.

How can technology transform the overall parking experience beyond electric vehicles?

Technology offers an opportunity to reinvent the very purpose of parking facilities. For example, dynamic

signage isn’t just about guidance but also about providing information: displaying public transit schedules, local news, or nearby events. Integrating dynamic pricing and personalized services, such as interactive screens welcoming drivers, can turn a simple parking visit into a seamless and engaging experience. In essence, parking facilities could become service hubs at the heart of urban life.

Are today’s parking facilities innovative enough to meet the needs of modern drivers? Many are still stuck in outdated models; however, falling behind doesn’t mean they can’t catch up. By introducing modular systems, operators can modernize their infrastructure step by step. Traditional parking facilities must adopt a more flexible and proactive vision where innovation isn’t a luxury but a necessity to remain competitive and appealing in a rapidly changing mobility landscape.

What impact could the current administration’s new policies have on the future of electric vehicles and parking infrastructure?

If current subsidies for electric vehicles were to decrease, it could slow the energy transition in specific sectors. For parking facilities, this might mean adjusting investments in charging stations. However, the global growth of EVs is already well-established and hard to reverse, with North American manufacturers being particularly active. The infrastructure deployment needed for EV adoption is expected to continue.”

Conclusion

In the future, parking facilities must be reinvented and offer new experiences to remain competitive. Drivers attach great importance to their vehicles and will not hesitate to choose the safest and most enjoyable parking facilities to park their cars and recharge their batteries. Today’s stories are tomorrow’s experiences. Parking facilities, it is time for a makeover! ◆

ROBIN GULCZYNSKI is a Business Development Associate for System TV. He can be reached at robin@system.tv

It’s time to

Make the Leap from Managing Parking to a Curbside Management Program

By Lawrence Marcus and Henri Stein McCartney

Something big has changed in parking, and places like Fairfax County, Virginia, are showing the way forward.

For decades, our mission as parking managers has been focused on optimizing the use of parking spaces to support economic development by using strategies to generate revenue, maximize turnover, and hit target occupancy. We also strived to protect neighborhoods from spillover parking demand and mediate curb use between households in communities. Our mission was accomplished if our parking customers were not complaining, parking revenue was steady and accounted for, and our parking spaces supported commercial loading and business patron needs.

Recent technological advances have reinforced this traditional mission. Apps make it easier for customers to locate, pay for, and reserve parking spaces. License plate recognition (LPR) streamlines enforcement, while digital payment systems reduce cash-handling risks. These tools have enhanced customer experience, improved operational efficiency, and even supported

patrons with special needs. Yet, despite these advances, a pressing question remains: Are we truly meeting today’s demands for curb space?

Accomplishing the Mission

So, are we accomplishing our mission? Are we accommodating all the demands for curb space?

Unfortunately, no. Our mission, our list of stakeholders, and our responsibilities have changed.

Managing parking programs in a traditional manner has evolved into a complicated balancing act of making reactive, incremental decisions based on the competing demands for curb space. The cause of this relatively new challenge is the enormous change in our industry over the past ten years:

● The growth of app-based ride-hailing services.

● New creative street designs with curb running lanes for transit and all-ages bicycling.

● Demand for e-commerce deliveries and shared mobility docking

● Other emerging mobility trends.

We now must coordinate with a seemingly endless list of internal and external stakeholders to manage the street space.

That’s the crux of the issue: we’re managing not only parking but also the streets. We now face decisions well beyond whether to charge for parking, how to encourage turnover, and methods to optimize revenue.

We need to define a new mission to solve this critical challenge. The chaos at the curb that we are beginning to experience will only be magnified as connected and autonomous (and semi-autonomous) vehicles become more commonplace on our streets. Cities such as San Francisco and Los Angeles are already experiencing these challenges, resulting in safety issues and tension at the curb

Aligning with Current Demands

Does our mission—and the purpose of our program— align with the new curb demands? Are we measuring our program’s success—and satisfying our passion as public sector officials—with metrics and targets that support the broader vision of our jurisdiction?

Are your program’s responsibilities managing parking spaces or all curb space use?

Some good news: Cities and towns have voiced interest in meeting this challenge, wanting to move

forward and mature into a progressive curbside management program.

Over 40 cities have completed a survey offered by Forward Progress to assess their program using a Capability Maturity Model approach and map a progressive path forward. Findings from participating cities reveal that most operate at a “Level 2” maturity, functioning as traditional parking authorities illequipped to meet modern demands. However, these same cities clearly aspire to mature, prioritizing safety, accessibility, and sustainability. As highlighted in the green portions of the chart below, survey participants self-evaluating their programs indeed want to become progressive.

To assess your program, visit Self-Assessment | Forward Progress

Moving Forward

“Urban mobility is evolving rapidly, and with it, the humble curb is transforming from mere parking zones to complex, multiuse spaces critical to the flow of city life. As urban centers worldwide face increasing demands from rideshares, delivery trucks, public transit, bike lanes, and pedestrian zones, the question looms large: how do cities evolve as owners of the curb space realm?”

—Mike Sawyer, Chief Engineer,

City of Richmond, VA

With the realization that our mission needs to change, how do we move forward from a reactive, incremental decision-making environment to a proactive, informed decision-making progressive curbside management program?

We must first redefine the boundaries of our responsibilities—spatially along streets and roles and responsibilities within our jurisdiction. Our new mission should broaden our spatial responsibilities to all curb space linearly, not just the parking spaces, and redefine the Curb Space Realm as done by Fairfax County, Virginia.

Fairfax County is currently engaged in a project to allocate curb space for use in Tysons, Virginia, which is undergoing a significant development transformation

from an edge city that served as an office center and shopping destination to a vibrant live, work, play community that is planned to serve a population of 100,000 residents by 2050. With more than 75 million square feet of high-density, mixed-use transit-oriented development approved for Tysons, Fairfax County is facing a significant challenge in moving past traditional parking programs to the allocation of curb space to accommodate the needs of these new uses.

To move forward with these new spatial responsibilities faced by jurisdictions and street managers, it is necessary to reevaluate two interdependent areas of a progressive curbside management program:

1. The organization, including its redefined mission, organizational structure, asset management inventory, processes, and methods.

2. The program’s street operations, including the use of technology, communication tools, navigation capabilities, payment methods, performance monitoring, and enforcement resources.

This article represents the first of a two-part series intended to help programs move forward toward a progressive curbside management organization, plotting a path forward with specific recommendations. This first piece focuses on the tools and process to build such an organization, the necessary first step before deploying a sustainable program that can dynamically optimize all curb space use based on the unique priorities and diversity of communities within cities and towns.

The second article, scheduled for release in the May 2025 issue of Parking & Mobility magazine, will map out the method and system to implement a progressive organization’s priorities at the curb in real time.

How

to

Move Forward: Building the Framework for Progress

The journey to a modern curbside management program begins with structural reform. Key steps include:

1. Craft a Mission Statement: Update your program’s mission to align with jurisdiction-wide goals. Incorporate guiding principles prioritizing safety, accessibility, sustainability, and community culture.

2. Establish a Curb Space Hierarchy: Develop a default prioritization framework that reflects the values of your community.

3. Conduct a Prioritization Analysis: Analyze the spatial allocation of curb space based on the program’s goals and default curb space realm hierarchy. This analysis should consider prerequisites such as safety buffers and ADA-compliant spaces while aligning with small-area plans and community visions.

4. Leverage Technology: Build a digital inventory of the curb space realm to enable data-driven decisionmaking. Technology should support real-time adjustments to curb space use, ensuring flexibility and responsiveness. This is the subject of part two of this article, to be published in May 2025.

5. Foster Collaboration: Establish partnerships across local government departments and with external stakeholders to ensure a cohesive approach to curbside management.

Detailing the Framework for Progress

To modernize your program, build the essential structural elements of a successful curbside management program. As identified in the selfassessment tool overview above, these elements include (1) gaining support from the jurisdiction’s leadership, (2) redefining the program mission statement, (3) updating your organization’s structure to facilitate informed decision-making to meet the program goals, and (4) building a digital curb space realm inventory as the foundation for informed decision-making and optimizing curb space use. With these structural program elements in place,

the following process can be executed to transform your program from a traditional parking authority to a progressive curbside management program. The following process aims to optimize curb space realm use based on each jurisdiction’s culture, values, and resources. Thus, a thread must be built from the jurisdiction’s vision to a “how-to” for allocating curb space in a prioritized manner.

Step 1: With the new mission statement defined, craft program goals, guiding principles, and performance measures that align with your comprehensive plan. Identify performance goals from the transportation section and complement these goals with community enhancement goals such as sustainability, equity, economic development, and community culture. Each goal should possess associated guiding principles representing your initial portion of the “how to” guide, directing curb space realm use prioritization. For example, progressive cities and towns are now aligning their transportation priorities with the Safe Streets for All Program, thus prioritizing safety first, ensuring access by users of all abilities equitably, and optimizing the movement of people, goods, and services.

Compare these overarching program goals and guidance with traditional parking programs that focus on vehicle storage, optimizing revenue, space occupancy, and vehicle turnover. Traditional parking authorities are not organized, nor have the resources, to achieve the comprehensive plan goals. Utilizing curb space to meet these goals requires parking teams to collaborate with the following internal and external stakeholders (at a minimum):

Applying this approach to the project planning and block-level additional internal and external stakeholders would be necessary.

With this initial step complete, your mission (and job description) has been redefined and now represents your foundation for a progressive program. This initial step should also strengthen relationships between your program and your jurisdiction’s many internal and external stakeholders. For many, striving for safety, accessibility, and community-wide value goals provides a more passionate purpose to our job as a public sector official.

Step 2: With the organization’s Goals and Guidance in place, establish a default curb space realm hierarchy for your jurisdiction. Until recently, this step was a void in our industry, leaving curb space managers without specific guidance to prioritize the use of the curb space realm. This default hierarchy aims to take direction from the program’s Goals and Guidance and structure an approach for curb space realm prioritization. The hierarchy covers all curb space and realm elements, not just the areas for parking and docking. On the adjacent page, see the graphics of some of the first examples drafted from San Francisco and Seattle.

Fairfax County, Virginia’s default curb space realm hierarchy represents a milestone improvement in the allocation process, addressing all geographic portions

of street curb space. This approach broadens the focus of curbside management responsibilities addressing regulatory distances where parking is prohibited, intersection operations, site distance, emergency infrastructure access, public works functions, and all other safety uses.

Tier 1: Fairfax County identifies these uses as “Prerequisites,” which align with the county’s Goal 1: Safety First: Ensure a Safe Curbside Environment and represent the highest priority use of curb space in the default hierarchy. Identifying areas along the curb that must be reserved for prerequisite uses allows planners to see the remaining curb space that can be allocated for other uses.

Tier 2: With these uses reserved, the county next prioritizes “Community-wide Values,” which aligns with the County’s Goal 3: Optimize People Movement Along the Curb to Support Block-level Needs and the Greater Mobility Needs of the Community. Communitywide Values should support the optimization of the curb space realm for the movement of people and goods along a safe curbside. Community-wide Values for a specific area may support walkability and multi-modal transportation options, including bike lanes and shareduse mobility stations, transit priority lanes, or creative public spaces such as parklets or mobile vending zones.

Tier 3: The final tier in the County’s prioritization hierarchy addresses “Resident and Tenant Livability,” which supports the county’s Goal 4: Align the Use of the Curb with Tenant’s Needs. The essential features in this tier are not determined solely by planners, as they rely heavily on input from building owners and managers, businesses, and residents who live along the curb space. The curb space features that support Resident and Tenant Livability may be docking for rideshare, residential deliveries, and e-commerce, short-term timed or paid parking on commercial blocks to support economic activity, or tenant parking on multi-family residential blocks. Land use may also be considered in schools, community centers, or event venues. Explore some examples of resident and tenant surveys: Curbside Surveys | Forward Progress

Tier 2 represents the most difficult curb use decisions as it balances the competing demands we face when planning a new curb running use, such as a bike or transit priority lane, which often eliminates another use, such as parking. Seattle and San Francisco developed high-level guidance to prioritize Communitywide Values and Resident and Tenant Livability curb

uses by land use context. This guidance (reference right, below, etc.) moved the industry forward, emphasizing the need to consider community context when building a default hierarchy.

The Washington, D.C. Department of Transportation (DDOT) is expanding the Community-wide Values and Resident and Tenant Livability hierarchy to include the community context and street function. This approach establishes a critical next level of guidance to allocating curb space based on the community environment. DDOT’s hierarchy will reflect the street’s function, community context, modal priority, and parking and loading needs.

Step 3: Conduct a Prioritization Analysis to spatially allocate space based on the goals, guidance, and default hierarchy. The analysis first allocates the prerequisites: the required uses and reserves space for regulatory code requirements related to safety buffers at intersections, street access points, driveways, fire hydrants, etc. It should also include features for users of all abilities, including PROWAG-compliant spaces, emergency access, and public works operations. The image below illustrates the analysis exercise

performed for one block in Tysons, Virginia, showing the prerequisite buffers for site distance, intersection operations, a fire hydrant, and a potential accessible parking space.

The next step in the analysis follows the default hierarchy sequence and addresses communitywide values, identifying existing and planned curbrunning multimodal facilities, large-scale commercial loading demands, and other curb-running uses. This

step should be tailored to the specific small-area planning vision.

Once prerequisites and community-wide values have been identified and allocated along the curb, community outreach to block-level stakeholders is necessary to determine Resident and Tenant Livability needs along each block. The county has leveraged a community alliance group to perform outreach to residents, businesses, building owners, and managers with a detailed survey tool to collect information on the curb features most needed by land uses along blocks.

This type of analysis is facilitated by a detailed data set of every street and curb feature along the analysis area. The county worked with a team of interns who walked the streets of Tysons with a GIS-enabled data collection device, documenting the location of a long list of features. Having a detailed, digitized dataset of curbside features is critical to applying the hierarchy.

Staff collected the location of every existing feature along curbs in the study area, ensuring that planners can access robust and detailed data for prioritization analysis.

As practitioners, we also understand that prioritizing the use of the curb space realm has another dimension beyond the use of the linear space. As jurisdictions repurpose the use of the available right-of-way, seldom is there sufficient cross-section right-of-way to add new facilities such as an on-street bike lane or other newly planned use without taking away travel lanes. Thus, the cross-section used within the right-of-way should also have prioritization guidance. Below is a world-class example from Baltimore, Maryland, illustrating the prioritized use of right-of-way based on the street type and modal priority of the street.

Integration of the Prioritization Process into Other City Functions

With a new curbside management prioritization process in place, we can now apply this as an analysis tool to proactively allocate curb space in project planning and land development site plan review. We can also supplement street safety studies with an assessment of optimal curb space use to minimize conflicting movements, ensure adequate sight distance, protect intersection movements, and implement visibility zones for pedestrians and cyclists.

With your organization and processes updated as detailed above, you can convey your curb space realm priorities to the curb. Part two of the curbside

management program guidance series, scheduled for May 2025, will delve into the tools and systems needed to implement these changes at the operational level. Together, these articles provide a roadmap for cities to navigate the complexities of modern urban mobility.

Conclusion

Urban mobility is evolving rapidly, and the humble curb is being redefined. Once a mere parking zone, it has become a critical space for facilitating the flow of city life. To meet this moment, cities must move beyond incremental adjustments and embrace a bold, new vision for curbside management. It’s time to ask the question: Why does your curbside program exist? The answer will shape the future of our streets, our communities, and our cities.

LAWRENCE MARCUS is a Co-Founder of Forward Progress, LLC and Curbwize, LLC. He can be reached at lmarcus@forward-progress. com

HENRI STEIN MCCARTNEY is a Senior Transportation Planner with Fairfax County, Virginia. She can be reached at henri. steinmccartney@fairfaxcounty.gov

Last-Mile Logistics and

BEYOND

Future Trends in Urban Transportation Systems

THE EXPONENTIAL GROWTH OF E-COMMERCE has reshaped urban mobility, particularly in last-mile logistics. With an unprecedented surge in home delivery demand, cities have experienced an increase in delivery vehicle traffic, creating new challenges in managing public space and mobility. This phenomenon has intensified pressure on urban infrastructure, where congestion and inadequate parking impact logistics efficiency and overall quality of life.

BEYOND

By Marc Boher

Beyond traffic congestion, last-mile delivery raises sustainability concerns. A significant percentage of CO2 emissions come from freight transport, making it a critical factor in the fight against climate change. Cities face the challenge of balancing the growing demand for fast deliveries with the need to reduce environmental impact. In response, governments and the private sector have started implementing technology-driven strategies to optimize logistics processes and mitigate the negative effects of urban distribution.

From a financial standpoint, last-mile delivery poses a major cost challenge for businesses.

Approximately 50% of total logistics expenses are concentrated in this final leg due to wait times, difficulties in finding proper parking, and fines for unauthorized stops. To address these issues, the industry has been forced to innovate, exploring solutions that enhance operational efficiency while minimizing costs and reducing their impact on urban mobility and the environment. Innovations such as AI-driven route optimization, micro-fulfillment centers, and automated parcel lockers have been introduced to streamline delivery operations and enhance service reliability.

The lack of available loading zones creates chaos: illegal parking, congestion from drivers searching for spaces, unnecessary detours, and frequent fines that undermine operational efficiency.

One of the most pressing issues in lastmile logistics is parking. A recent report, Standardizing the Curb: Seattle’s Curb Data Journey, revealed that delivery drivers spend up to 80% of their time parked while making deliveries. The lack of available loading zones creates chaos: illegal parking, congestion from drivers searching for spaces, unnecessary detours, and frequent fines that undermine operational efficiency. How can this be resolved?

Technology offers tangible solutions. Real-time parking availability systems allow drivers to know in advance where they can stop. IoT sensors installed in loading zones generate valuable data on space usage, and the challenge lies in effectively leveraging this information to make data-driven decisions. Having accurate information and interpreting it correctly enables strategic planning that optimizes urban mobility and logistics efficiency. As a result, digitizing loading zones has become a key solution.

A strong example of loading zone digitization is the project implemented in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, a suburban city near Barcelona. Users must register through a mobile app to obtain a parking permit for designated loading areas. This permit allows transport operators to park for a limited time to complete their deliveries while avoiding fines. Once parked, they generate a digital ticket validating their use of the space. This system, now widespread across the Barcelona metropolitan area, has facilitated more efficient

management of loading zones. Since its implementation, thousands of tickets have been issued, indicating strong user adoption.

Hospitalet has also deployed cameras to automate monitoring and gather precise data on zone usage, improving planning. A vehicle equipped with cameras, known as a ScanCar, patrols the area, capturing license plates to verify compliance. Fixed cameras send realtime alerts if an unauthorized vehicle occupies a spot or exceeds the allowed time, reducing the need for repeat ScanCar visits and increasing enforcement efficiency. With 450 cameras installed, the system already enables real-time occupancy tracking and automated alerts for enforcement officers.

Another example comes from San Sebastián, Spain, where 700 magnetic sensors are being deployed to detect parking violations in real time, ensuring compliance with regulations and optimizing space availability. The system cross-references sensor data with digital tickets issued by registered users. Initially, the project will focus on informing drivers about restrictions before starting to impose fines. This semi-automated approach is expected to improve compliance and enhance the efficiency of loading zone management. These smart systems streamline urban logistics and help reduce congestion and emissions. Over time, the data collected from these sensors could provide valuable insights into parking demand patterns and inform urban mobility policies.

Other cities have developed innovative strategies to tackle last-mile challenges. In Hamburg, an AI-driven traffic management system prioritizes delivery vehicles, reducing peak-hour congestion. London has promoted the creation of urban micro-hubs and major delivery companies’ adoption of electric trucks. Barcelona has

leveraged IoT sensors to optimize parking management and loading zone digitization, significantly reducing delivery times. In Tokyo, a network of AI-powered smart warehouses enhances inventory management efficiency, minimizing dispatch times. Los Angeles has experimented with autonomous drones in pilot programs to assess their feasibility in dense urban areas.

While advancements in autonomous vehicles and drones promise to revolutionize urban deliveries, large-scale adoption still faces significant challenges. Companies like Amazon and Google have progressed in drone delivery trials, but regulatory and safety hurdles complicate widespread implementation. Beyond technology, integrating these solutions into an already congested and constantly evolving urban environment remains a challenge.

Big data-based predictive systems enable companies to adjust delivery routes in real time, minimizing wait times and reducing congestion caused by delivery vehicles. However, sector fragmentation complicates large-scale adoption. Major logistics operators use proprietary systems, making coordinating a unified urban logistics network difficult.

Urban micro-hubs have also gained traction. These small, strategically located warehouses consolidate packages to shorten final delivery distances. However, managing these spaces presents challenges, including accessibility, regulation, and integration with other logistics providers. While bike or electric vehicle deliveries offer promising solutions, motorized transport remains essential, reinforcing the need for technology to regulate and optimize its impact on mobility. Further developments in robotic last-mile delivery systems could supplement human-driven efforts and provide more sustainable solutions.

Urban micro-hubs have also gained traction. These small, strategically located warehouses consolidate packages to shorten final delivery distances.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution—each city’s approach will depend on its unique culture, regulations, investment capacity, and existing infrastructure. The key to parking and public space management lies in maximizing efficiency and automating enforcement. We can reduce traffic congestion and enhance urban mobility through real-time information and digital tools that facilitate decision-making.

Implementing smart last-mile solutions is a complex process that requires collaboration between multiple stakeholders. Public administrations must work alongside technology companies and logistics operators to ensure these strategies are effective. Additionally, it is crucial to raise awareness among citizens about the importance of sustainable urban mobility and their role in this transformation. With a well-designed strategy backed by data and public space optimization, we can balance operational efficiency and environmental sustainability, turning last-mile logistics into a more agile and efficient model for everyone.

Last-mile logistics is undergoing a significant transformation. Technology is ready, but the real challenge lies in cities, businesses, and citizens adopting these solutions in a coordinated and efficient manner. The future of urban freight transport depends on our ability to innovate, regulate intelligently, and ensure that new solutions align with the needs of an increasingly complex urban ecosystem. ◆

MARC BOHER is the Chief Operating Officer at URBIOTICA. He can be reached at marc.boher@urbiotica. com

TOWARDS A

Virginia Beach’s Technology Evolution

By Robert Fries, CAPP

Parking professionals are quickly becoming acquainted with new jargon like blockchain, big data, connected cities, smart growth, curb management, and frictionless parking. But what do these concepts really mean to the parking world? How will emerging technology change parking, and will it be better for operators and their customers? What new skills will be required to transition into an automated environment, and how will that impact organizations’ business rules and operational policies? What skills will become obsolete, and how will that affect the workforce, best management practices, and organizational structures?

Will the next big thing in parking be asset light? Given the vast proliferation of one of humankind’s greatest inventions, the smartphone, this trend seems inevitable. Many parking service vendors are successfully offering these products today. But how will this paradigm shift change how we currently conduct business, and will customers willingly adopt this new vision and find it useful?

Virginia Beach’s parking operations have radically changed over the past decade. We are on the precipice of a major change within the next year as new projects are constructed and open to the public. Like most municipalities, Virginia Beach operates both on-street and off-street parking. Over the last decade, new technology has shaped how we provide parking services, which has mirrored the rest of the parking industry.

Our first major shift towards new technology occurred in 2014, when the old coin-only, spring-operated meters were replaced with digital meters and mobile payments.

During this time, our policies and standard operational procedures began to change to reflect new technology, and old sacred cow rules started to buckle in favor of more friendly and flexible services for our customers.

Our first major shift towards new technology occurred in 2014, when the old coin-only, springoperated meters were replaced with digital meters and mobile payments. The new meters also accepted credit cards, which immediately made adjacent businesses ecstatic since they were no longer asked to break dollars into change for would-be customers. After the COVID-19 pandemic, the adoption rate for mobile payments skyrocketed. The QR code rose from relative obscurity to international prominence during and after COVID as a convenient and easy-to-use point-of-sale system for any business.

In 2021, with no capital expense outlays, Virginia Beach introduced a QR code payment solution in the surface lots, which quickly outpaced traditional meter transactions. In 2022, multiple mobile payment providers began operating on-street based on the premise that Virginia Beach is a tourist destination, and visitors should use the parking app already downloaded on their phones to make the parking experience easier. The additional payment options did not require any

equipment or expenses. Graph 1 illustrates the increasing adoption rates of mobile payment in Virginia Beach.

In 2024, the City’s current meter provider introduced the QR code at the curb at no cost. The ratio of mobileto-meter transactions is almost 50/50. The QR code has eclipsed traditional app usage on the mobile payment side and accounts for 70% of all mobile transactions at the curb. Furthermore, coin usage has dropped to an all-time low, to a little less than 3% of total meter transactions. Several meters have been reporting zerocoin transactions for the entire year, and yes, we check trouble alerts daily.

Not long ago, parking lots were cash-only and operated out of a cigar box...or maybe it was operated with an honor box stuffed with wadded-up cash. The most avant-garde service offering was color-coded hang tags for special user groups. Parking meters were springoperated and accepted only coins. They were constantly accused of shorting everyone’s parking time, resulting in conveniently erroneous parking tickets. Parking garages were managed by legacy parking access and revenue control systems (PARCS) that controlled mechanical gates with embedded magnetized loops and a fee collection system. Some systems used the equivalent of a time clock to stamp the date and time on an entry ticket, while others used magstripes to capture entry and exit transactions. The operating system was coded in stone with either hieroglyphics or Sanskrit, devoid of customization or system upgrades.

Virginia Beach’s official parking policies were written based on the features and functions of the day’s technology. Generally, the policies were drafted to safeguard cash collections and to hold employees accountable. These policies culminated in standard operating procedures (SOPs) that parking managers and supervisors were required to perform daily, composing daily business reports that could be audited later for policy compliance. These policies were detailed step-by-step guidelines for collecting, managing, and transferring cash among employees from drop safes to bank deposits. The policies included separating duties of cashiers, supervisors, and managers, which had a clearly defined cash chain of custody process to safeguard against excessive exposure and “slippage.”

There are 10 surface parking lots located sporadically across the city near public beaches. The first transaction collection method was sequentially numbered paper

tickets with a perforated stub receipt. The technology solution was a custom-built Microsoft Access database program using serialized numbers from paper tickets that auto-calculated sales and shift reports that required a manual cash reconciliation to detect cash overages and shortages. The following technology solution was a handheld point-of-sale system that accepted credit cards, printed receipts, and automated all reporting. This system was slowly replaced by digital parking meters and mobile payment options that only accept cards. Today, almost all the City’s lots operate with only a QR code posted on a large sign as the sole payment source.

As new technology was deployed, the City’s parking operations and organizational structure morphed into something new. The City becomes the Merchant of Record for card transactions collected by hardware devices. Cost centers shifted from wages and benefits to bank fees. The parking lot program employing up to 60 seasonal workers was reduced to a handful of full-time managers at onequarter of the previous budget. The lot program was the largest of

all the City’s parking programs and operated daily in two shifts of cashiers and supervisors for 10 surface lots.  It is easy to detect the inverse relationship between staffing levels and digital and mobile payment usage. Additionally, the City’s cash management policies and SOPs became nearly obsolete with the proliferation of mobile payments and card transactions. Graph 2 depicts technology’s effect on the total staff hours worked in the City’s parking lot program.

Moving forward, City leadership expects to transition parking garages from a gated operation to a frictionless, gate-free option. The QR code was introduced as the only payment source for transient parkers in late 2024. Given our experience of digital payment’s impact on staffing in the surface lot operation, will the daily hustle and bustle of employee activity in the garages be replaced by digital payments? How will deactivating the mechanical PARCS to go asset-light in the garages morph our current tried and true SOPs?  Will existing parking-specific skills be forever lost in this transition, or will a new paradigm emerge?

The City’s parking office cultivated best management practices

One of the most underrated traits of any successful parking professional is the ability to plan and pivot. Rarely does plan A ever work out in the parking world. Plans B, C, and D are always needed.

from peers and parking trade shows to develop a highly functioning, customer-centric parking operation. These skills were honed to create the bedrock of our current parking program. Staff practice these skills daily:

● Customer Engagement: Customer engagement happens best when people conduct business in the garages and lots. The staff are friendly and available to help explain the rules and assist customers with their questions and concerns. At the 2015 IPMI Conference & Expo, I saw a presentation by Dennis Burns, CAPP (Ret.), and Josh Kavanagh, CAPP, called Releasing the Parking Brake by Engaging the Customer. The presentation focused on customer experience, organizational branding and image, and ideas to keep customers engaged in your product: parking.  These ideas and concepts were introduced in Virginia Beach the following year, including new branding, marketing campaigns, direct, in-person customer outreach tactics, and parker loyalty programs.

● Customer Service: Customer service and interaction with frontline staff are paramount and are the primary focus of the City’s onboarding and training of new employees. Employees are taught skills and strategies for active listening, empathy, and deescalating upset customers. These employees provide positive customer experiences and reflect the image that Virginia Beach wants to present to the public.

● Managing the Team: Managing people well is challenging to learn and even more complicated to put into practice. During the same 2015 conference, I participated in the IPMI Management and Leadership training. This immersive experience introduced me to situational leadership techniques that became useful as our parking operation staff expanded. Many of the new managers in our operation started as frontline employees. How many future leaders will be developed internally when our operation becomes fully mechanized and digitized? The opportunities for new hires to build the essential skills in leadership, team building, mentoring, and coaching with declining staffing levels will be limited.

● Flexibility and Adaptability: One of the most underrated traits of any successful parking professional is the ability to plan and pivot. Rarely does plan A ever work out in the parking world. Plans B, C, and D are always needed. Technology always requires a workaround to fit the community’s unique approach to parking. The parking industry has never been a one-sizefits-all experience. Unforeseen external factors can derail the best-laid plans, whether due to local politics, stakeholder engagement, funding constraints, tight labor markets, or the economy. A parking professional must be resourceful to

achieve their goals. This requires a curious and analytical mind that collects and interprets data to devise the most rational approach to troubleshooting and resolving problems, both real and imagined.

● Cash Control: Managing cash is an essential skill for any successful parking manager. The City’s policies and procedures include directives to collect cash, reduce excessive cash accumulation, dictate daily responsibilities for cashiers and supervisors during the work shift, and track the expected cash and actual cash collected. No single person handled the money through the entire collection and deposit process. There was a series of checks and balances, and separation of duties designed to deter the loss of cash. Handling cash daily exuded managerial involvement and accountability, ranging from cash shortage paybacks to official investigation action. Employees who master cash control techniques often are promoted to leadership positions. Digitized payments do not require this skill set.

● Fiscal Control: Auditing skills require a check-and-balance approach to treasury management. The City’s parking policies require daily random audits of cash on hand compared to the expected cash earned. Audits can be camera-based to observe employees practicing proper cash handling and processing payments correctly. They can be performed in real-time or days after a work shift ends. The outcome of the audits not only ensures employee accountability but also leads to new training techniques or retraining opportunities for underperforming employees. Digitized payments do not require this skill set.

Back to the original premise of this article. How will assetlight products impact parking organizations and the industry as a whole? Are software and code the parking managers of the future? What once required up to 60 employees to perform can now be accomplished by one or two employees. Arguably, this is a great selling point for parking technology and can easily be perceived as a success story, but what are the opportunity costs associated with this transformation?

Most future tech trends point towards intelligent and interactive vehicles, where the vehicle will be guided to a parking location and used as a payment device. This will most likely end the need for parking hardware. Previous skill sets developed for the parking professional will become obsolete. If so, is the parking professional an endangered species? ◆

ROBERT FRIES, CAPP , is the Parking Manager for the City of Virginia Beach, VA. He can be reached at rfries@ vbgov.com.

The IPMI Conference & Expo

June 8-11, 2025

Louisville, Kentucky

The must-attend event that brings together par king, transportation, and mobility professionals for education, knowledge sharing, networ king, and exposure to the latest technology and service providers.

IPMI Events Calendar

*Topic to be announced.

JULY

JULY 9*

IPMI Webinar

A Decade of Parking Technology: Predictions, Progress, and Future Needs, presented by the IPMI Technology

Free Member Chat

APRIL

APRIL 8

Free IPMI Higher Education Member Roundtable

Virtual Roundtable is limited to higher education members.

APRIL 9

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Understanding and Supporting Mental Health on the Frontline

APRIL 23

IPMI Webinar

Parking in the Digital Lane: A DataDriven Tech Journey

APRIL 24

Free Member Chat New Members

MAY 28*

Free Learning Lab Presented by gtechna

JUNE

Free Member Chat Conference & Expo First Timers Orientation Chat

JUNE 4

Free Virtual Frontline Training Managing Expanding Events: Mastering ICS (Incident Command System)

JUNE 8–11

IPMI Parking & Mobility Conference & Expo Louisville, KY

IPMI Webinar Subject: Funding & Financing

JULY 17

Free Member Chat New Members

JULY 22, 24, 29, & 31

Online, Instructor-Led Learning Parksmart Advisor Training

AUGUS T

AUGUST 13

Free Virtual Frontline Training Turning Moments of Failure into a Lifetime of Success

AUGUST 21

Free Member Chat Awards

AUGUST 28

Free Live Meeting Building Brand & ROI with IPMI Stay up to

(continued)

SEPTEMBER

SEPTEMBER 9

Online, Instructor-Led Learning

APO Site Reviewer Training—Renewal

SEPTEMBER 10

IPMI Webinar

There’s Not Here for the Parking: Venue Parking That is Not the Main Event

SEPTEMBER 16

Free IPMI Municipal Member Roundtable

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SEPTEMBER 18

Free Member Chat CAPP

SEPTEMBER 25 *

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Presented by gtechna

*Topic to be announced.

OCTOBER

OCTOBER 8

Free Virtual Frontline Training

Introversion & Extroversion: What’s Your Personality Superpower?

OCTOBER 14

Free IPMI Higher Education Member Roundtable

Virtual Roundtable is limited to higher education members.

OCTOBER 16

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OCTOBER 21, 23, 28, & 30

Online, Instructor-Led Learning Parksmart Advisor Training

NOVEMBER

NOVEMBER 5

IPMI Webinar

Building Blocks: Understanding the Impacts of Policy on Your Operations, Presented by the IPMI Policy & Legislative Cohort

NOVEMBER 12

Free IPMI Municipal Member Roundtable

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NOVEMBER 20

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DECEMBER

DECEMBER 11

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DECEMBER 17 *

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Vice President of Education & Municipal Services

Reimagined Parking

The Leading Credential in Parking & Mobility

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Understand that one day, you will have the power to make a difference, so use it well.”

- Mindy Kaling

Laura Lierz, CAPP

STATE & REGIONAL CALENDAR

2025 Industry Events and State & Regional Calendar

APRIL 1–3

Parking & Transportation Association of Pennsylvania (PTAP) Annual Conference & Expo Pittsburgh. PA

APRIL 22–25

Texas Parking and Transportation Association (TPTA) Annual Conference & Trade Show Galveston. TX

MAY 5–8

Mid–South Parking and Transportation Association (MSTPA) Conference & Trade Show Atlanta, GA

JUNE 24–26, 2025

New England Parking & Transportation Council (NEPTC) Conference & Trade Show Mashantucket, CT

JULY 9-10

Mid-West Parking & Mobility Association (MPMA) Inaugural Conference

Kansas City, MO

SEPTEMBER 17-18

European Parking Association (EPA) Conference & Exhibition Brussels

SEPTEMBER 22–26

Carolinas Parking & Mobility Association (CPMA) Ashville, NC

OCTOBER 14-17, 2025

Campus Parking and Transportation Association (CPTA) Annual Conference Arlington, TX

OCTOBER 21–23

Pacific Intermountain Parking & Transportation Association (PIPTA) Conference & Expo Eugene, OR

OCTOBER 27–29

Southwest Parking & Transportation Association (SWPTA) Annual Conference Las Vegas, NV

NOVEMBER 3–6, 2025

California Mobility and Parking Association (CMPA) Annual Conference & Tradeshow Lake Tahoe, CA

NOVEMBER 17-20, 2025

Florida Parking & Transportation Association (FPTA) Annual Conference and Tradeshow Miami, FL