Curbs Have The Power To Transform Cities
Don’t curb your enthusiasm. Curbsides– yes, curbs – have the power to transform cities.
Getting curbs to work for us
The curbsides of today just aren’t working. And because many cities are already planning to address a variety of transportation issues raised by the impending arrival of autonomous cars, now is actually the perfect time to reexamine our curbsides and make the necessary changes. Future city residents will thank us if we can push for these solutions:
1. Aligning curbside use and transportation priorities:
Future curbsides should be less focused on personal vehicles and more focused on everything else. A future transportation network of autonomous cars, perhaps even operating as a shared mobility platform or under a subscription model, compounds this reality.
Remember that cars spend 95 percent of the time out of service, so it’s likely that future transportation systems will rely on increasingly shared assets. It’s not quite the American Dream circa 1950, but it’s a radically simplified approach that’s more affordable and sustainable.
Meanwhile, how we physically design curbside infrastructure needs to be overhauled to truly integrate different transportation modes, while recognizing the importance of commercial diversity.
It might sound like we’re demanding a lot from the curbside, but the current reality is that we’re demanding very little. Future curbsides will be safer, easier to deliver on and better for walking and biking, among other uses.
2. Market pricing for curbsides everywhere:
You thought parking tickets were bad? Just wait until you see the market price of parking on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.
All kidding aside, this is a crucial next step for cities, even if it’s politically unpopular.
As ridiculous as it might seem to those spending $15 per hour on parking, it’s even more ridiculous that free parking exists throughout New York City, even for non-residents.
Photo courtesy SDOT / Flickr3. Greater integration of technology and data-based platforms:
The curbsides of the future will be tech-enabled and enforced. Already it’s possible to envision future integration of parking availability sensors with mapping APIs and other transportation technology solutions, so we spend less time looking for parking.
Meanwhile, as other parts of the curbside open up to other uses, like e-commerce delivery and transportation network providers, you might see auto-enforcement of those parking areas.
Computer vision technology, street cameras and advanced sensor tech will also provide cities and planners with greater visibility about what’s happening on their streets, and vehicle-to-infrastructure connectivity (and vehicle-to-vehicle connectivity) will provide exponentially more efficient curbside use and optimization.
4. Fewer curbsides, period:
Perhaps the most radical realization of these solutions is to re-envision existing curbsides and streets for other uses.
If cities are wrestling with a lack of available real estate and burgeoning population growth, they could do worse than to reexamine 40 percent of their available land area. Predictions are that nearly 70 percent of the world’s population will be urban by 2050, so now’s the time to take a hard look at how we’re using what we have.
The even more intriguing benefit could be additional opportunities for small business and retail growth, transforming parking spaces into entirely new forms of development.
Where the rubber meets the road
By no means are these solutions exhaustive, but they speak to the hidden power of curbsides to make a difference in cities.
City leaders are looking for ways to compete in a global economy, attract talent, reduce environmental impacts and generally improve quality of life.
Addressing curbside issues isn’t cool, but what’s possible through them might be. They are, after all, where the rubber meets the road.
Reprinted with permission of Longitudes, the UPS blog devoted to the trends shaping the global economy.
Cover Image: Flickr / NYDOT.