Originally published in Forbes on April 1, 2021
As a former transportation commissioner and current bike, scooter and electric-car owner, I understand the passion parking spots can evoke. What emotions in life are comparable to the euphoria of seeing a parking spot (or bike corral) open up right in front of the restaurant you have a reservation for in 2 minutes, or the store you need to pop into with a cranky child in tow?
For a hundred years, vehicles and parking have been an essential part of the architecture of our lives and our cities. I was fascinated to learn that “parking” originated from the concept of “park space” on our boulevards in Washington D.C., my hometown, in the 1870’s. The curbs we use today are probably the most overlooked and underrated aspect of this urban architecture. By default, it’s easy to assume that there is no better use for the side of the road than to store vehicles. The curb, after all, is the natural companion to the car and truck - or at least, it was, for a long period of time, post- trees, flowers, and horses.
Why revisit our use of the curb:
Cities are dynamic environments. That parking space you were thrilled to find in front of your favorite restaurant five years ago might be used by 10 Doordashers, five private vehicles picking up food, a Sysco truck dropping off supplies, a UPS truck teetering with Amazon boxes today. It may even already be converted to a bike corral.
The evolution has been slowly happening for years:
When the world has changed in the past, the architecture of our cities has adapted. Even before the pandemic, shifts were happening in the way we lived - from logistics to food delivery, the rise of e-commerce over retail shopping, shared mobility, and shifts in car and bike ownership.
All of these changes have already had huge effects on traffic patterns and urban life, and many of them hit your world at - yes - the lowly curb. That double-parked UPS delivery truck you just had to swerve around may seem like a traffic problem, but what it really is, is a curb problem.