itsparker

At this point in the relatively short life of my blog, I have the following perspective:

1. As I research broad aspects of ITS-Park, and build my personal understanding, I am more convinced than ever that smartcars and ITS-Park will come together, and the technology will be demonstrated in the next two years.
2. ITS-Park garages will become a major influence on restructuring cities worldwide – the need is growing every year.
3. That the smartcars/ITS-Park combination will lead to the creation of many multi-billion dollar businesses worldwide over the next 25 years.

My only regret is that I have been totally unsuccessful in achieving any substantial dialogue with viewers about these ideas. Literally all of my viewers are “lurkers”. I get viewers from all over the world, including many translating my materials through Google. I still hope that I will find at least two or three viewers who are passionate and knowledgeable about the subject, and that they would participate in a running discussion.

Do you have any suggestions for stimulating viewer’s discussion?

itsparker

Step One – Industry develops preliminary designs of ITS-Park garage modules

Step Two – Cities use the ITS-Park module designs as the basis for conceptual urban design improvements

Step One: Designing ITS-Park Example Garage Modules

I have previously demonstrated the theoretical possibilities of large space and economic savings through the construction of ITS-Park garages which are designed to store smaller cars than today’s SUV’s. My results are summarized below. Of course, these rough estimates need verification through realistic designs by veteran garage designers.

*Depending on suburban or urban setting and land values

The Step One need is to develop preliminary ITS-Park designs – in modular form – that can be used by city planners/designers as elements of improved urban designs for sections/segments of their cities. Cities need a realistic perspective on the potential positive impacts of ITS-Park garages when combined with new urban designs. For Step One, I suggest the following process:

1. Garage design experts work jointly with materials associations to create realistic ITS-Park modular designs (funding source to be decided). I envision, at least within the U.S. context, one garage designer working with The Aluminum Association; another with the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute; another with the American Institute of Steel Construction. These teams will meet with together, including auto and technology industry representatives, to define preliminary requirements/assumptions for their designs, such as:
   • Each module to hold 500 cars
   • Three design sizes and weights, such as:

• Module A – 15 feet long by 5 foot high by 6 feet wide; weight TBD
• Module B – 12 feet long by 5 feet high by xx wide; weight TBD
• Module C (transformer car) – 12 feet long by 3.3 feet high by 5.7 feet wide; weight TBD

1.  
   • Load/unload lobby assumed input/output dwell times
   • Lobby design means for separating cars and pedestrians
   • Each ITS-Park garage three floors high
   • Vehicles movement speeds, accuracies and clearances

2. The expected outputs from the design work will be:

(A) A set of plans that can be used by city urban design teams, including floor plans, structure and exterior concept.

(B) Estimated price range per module.

(C) Expected garage external vehicle queuing needs

ITS-Park is now just a gleam in my eye. I like to believe that it also is a gleam in the eye of all the “lurkers” on this blog who I have yet to hear from. I’d especially like to hear comments from professionals who have been deeply involved in the design of self-park and mechanical garages. Is it possible at this early date to produce preliminary ITS-Park module designs that would be sufficiently relevant for cities to use as references? What sources of funding might be possible? My next blog post will delve into the questions of Stap Two – What cities might do with these preliminary ITS-Park module designs.

itsparker

My post of 10/30/09 entitled “Car Park Problems: The World Search for New Parking Space”, outlined the trend, particularly in the U.S., toward large parking lots and garages; the world growth in vehicle ownership and the accompanying extensive need for more parking. As cities grow larger, even though they include various forms of transit systems, they will have more cars and more drivers accessing their many centers – the center of the city itself; transit stations, airports, shopping centers, medical centers, universities, etc. – requiring more parking space.

Business Week in its November 13, 2008 issue provided a good perspective on the implications of high growth in cities, changing our historical world perspective on the geography of cities. The article, entitled “China Prepares for Urban Revolution”, projects what is apt to happen to Chinese cities up to the year 2025. Some of the article highlights:

• China will have 8 megacities (if megacities are defined as >10 million population) or 23 megacities (if they are defined as >5 million population). China will also have about 221 cities with a population over 1 million.
• The Chinese growth in cities dwarfs that of all of Europe which now has 35 cities with populations over 1 million. And European city average annual growth rates range from 0.3% downward to annual population losses. The fastest growing urban area cited? Beihan, China – 10.58% per year!
• The Chinese city growth is expected to require the construction of 50,000 skyscrapers above 30 stories over that 15 year period – an average of 3,333 high rise buildings per year. How many large adjoining parking garages will be required, considering the phenomenal growth in car sales underway?
• The Economist, in an article on 11/13/08, entitled “The Art of the Possible”, projected car growth rates for China. It expects that China will have overtaken the U.S. in car fleet size in 20 years, by 2030. By the year 2050, China will have almost as many cars as the entire world today!

Two excellent sources of information on city and urban area growth around the world are:

• http://demographia.com/ and
• http://citymayors.com/

Demographia, for example, indicates that the world currently has 342 urban areas with populations of 1 million, to in excess of 5 million. Its data also indicates that the world currently has 10 megacities with populations over 10 million; 55 total megacities with populations over 5 million. It also lists 171 urban areas with populations >2 million, including:

• China – 25
• USA – 21
• South America – 20
• Europe – 17
• India – 15
• Japan – 5

Note: Typical USA urban areas with populations around 2 million include Denver, St. Louis and Baltimore.

The City Mayors web site indicates that urban areas with populations >1 million, include:

• China – 100
• Asia (other than China, Japan and India – 64
• The Americas – 45
• Africa – 19
• India – 18
• Europe – 18
• Indonesia – 16
• Japan – 12

If China is going to have as many cars as the U.S. in just 20 years, where are they going to park all those cars? How about all those other fast-growing cities around the world with huge annual growths in car ownership rates? It would appear to represent a terrific multi-billion dollar/year big business opportunity – especially as ITS-Park deployment is initiated and expands.

Its parker