An Evolution of Parking

In his feature article this month, Stephen Oliver of Stantec tells us that the future of mobility does not signal the end of parking—it means the evolution of parking.

Let’s sit with that for a minute.

An evolution in parking.

There has been talk over time that parking is going the way of the dinosaur, and that an inability to adapt to the new environment could lead to extinction. I pose that is entirely inaccurate. Parking is not going the way of the dinosaur—it is going the way of the Italian Wall Lizard.

Italian Wall Lizards at one time had a diet of mostly insects. But climate change and environmental shifts have caused this lizard to adjust its diet to mostly plants. So, what did the lizard do? It evolved. Over time, they developed larger heads, cecal valves to improve digestion of plant material, and wider teeth for tearing and chewing. Scientists tracked this evolution over several generations.  Other species have not been able to make the evolutionary shift, but the Italian Wall Lizard is thriving.

So will parking.

Parking will make an evolutionary shift. Parking will find new ways to survive. Parking will shift, pivot, and reload. Parking will take technology and apply it to make a better outcome, not die out because of it.

How do I know?

Because YOU are parking. The people of the parking, mobility, and transportation community are made of tough stuff. You are smart, you are innovative, and you are ready for change. You are ready to evolve.

In this issue, you will find excellent examples of that evolution. And this is just the beginning. What a fun time to be in our industry.

Looking forward to growing a bigger head and wider teeth with you all in the years to come.