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<br /> money because, as we discussed earlier, parking is expensive. In addition to cost savings, having
<br /> fewer parking facilities makes an area much more attractive. Also, with fewer parking lots come
<br /> fewer driveways cutting across sidewalks, which adds to pedestrian comfort and safety.
<br /> Finally, and perhaps most importantly, by encouraging people to park once and walk to all
<br /> subsequent destinations, we add bodies to the sidewalk. Why is this important? There are several
<br /> reasons. First, it gives merchants an opportunity for "customer sharing." If people walk by a
<br /> business on their way to somewhere else, that business has the opportunity to attract the
<br /> customer in and sell them something, too. If the customer parks at each destination and never hits
<br /> the sidewalk, this opportunity doesn't exist. Second, it adds safety to the area. A busy sidewalk is
<br /> a safe sidewalk. Danger (or the perception of danger) lurks when a street is deserted, but in the
<br /> company of your fellow citizens you can be assured of a good level of security. Criminals hate
<br /> witnesses. Lastly, to paraphrase the great urbanist Jane Jacobs, life attracts life, and dullness
<br /> repels life. People love to be in the presence of other people, and by creating a pazk once
<br /> environment we create busy sidewalks which are an attraction in themselves and will encourage
<br /> more people to visit Downtown.
<br /> Shared Parking
<br /> In cities there are many different types of land uses, such as offices, cinemas, shops, restaurants,
<br /> and hotels. Each of these uses tends to have differing peak use periods. Offices, for example, are
<br /> busiest during the weekdays unti15:00pm or so. Cinemas, by contrast, tend to be inactive in the
<br /> morning, mellow in the afternoon, and lively at night and on the weekends. Hotels are relatively
<br /> idle during the day and need a lot of parking over night, while everything else is empty. This all
<br /> applies to downtowns and non-downtowns alike.
<br /> In non-downtown azeas, each property acts as a self contained unit and is usually pretty large.
<br /> Walking from one property to another isn't realistic or desirable, because some shopping centers
<br /> and office pazks are so big that you can't even get out of them within a comfortable walking
<br /> time! Not only that, but the walk isn't usually pleasant. Harsh parking lots and busy arterial roads
<br /> await the pedestrian—most people will not voluntarily subject themselves to such conditions.
<br /> Therefore, each property must be able to park all of its customers and employees on-site. To do
<br /> this, pazking lots must be sized to meet every possible situation, including the biggest day of the
<br /> year.
<br /> Downtowns, however, can be different. Properties are sma11 and close together and connected by
<br /> a walkable sidewalk network. It is comfortable to walk from place to place. In fact, it can be a
<br /> joy! Many private downtown parking lots, though, still contain menacing signs that say things
<br /> like "Keep out! Unauthorized vehicles will be towed at owner's expense." If those signs come
<br /> down, though, and property owners aze willing to share their parking, an amazing opportunity
<br /> opens up.
<br /> To illustrate this, let's use an example. Assume that in a great fictional downtown there is a
<br /> theater which sits right next to an office building. The theater has about 1,500 seats, which
<br /> means at its peak it needs about 500 parking spaces. The office building is 167,000 square feet in
<br /> size, which means that at its peak it also needs about 500 pazking spaces. If these buildings are in
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