How can you use spatial analysis to identify parking shortages?

1 What is spatial analysis?

Spatial analysis is the process of examining the location, distribution, and relationship of spatial features and phenomena. Spatial analysis can help you answer questions such as: Where are the parking spaces located? How many are available at different times of the day and week? How far are they from the destinations they serve? How are they priced and regulated? Spatial analysis can also help you identify patterns, trends, and anomalies in the data, such as: Where are the parking hotspots and coldspots? How do parking demand and occupancy vary by season, weather, or event? How do parking shortages affect traffic congestion, emissions, and safety?

2 How to collect and prepare parking data?

To conduct spatial analysis of parking, you need to collect and prepare parking data that are accurate, reliable, and comprehensive. Parking data can come from various sources, such as: Parking meters, sensors, cameras, or apps that record parking transactions, occupancy, and duration. Surveys, interviews, or observations that capture parking behavior, preferences, and satisfaction. Land use, zoning, or inventory data that describe the parking supply, regulations, and characteristics. You need to clean, format, and geocode the parking data, so that they can be mapped and analyzed in a GIS software. You also need to define the spatial and temporal scale and resolution of your analysis, such as: The geographic area or boundary of interest. The time period or interval of observation. The spatial units or zones of aggregation.

5 How to identify and address parking shortages?

Using spatial analysis, you can identify and address parking shortages by finding the gaps or mismatches between parking supply and demand, and by exploring the potential solutions or alternatives. You can use spatial analysis to answer questions such as: Where and when do parking shortages occur? What are the causes and consequences of parking shortages? How can parking shortages be reduced or avoided? You can use spatial analysis to test or simulate the impacts of different parking policies and strategies, such as: Parking pricing or management that adjusts the cost or availability of parking to influence parking behavior and demand. Parking supply or provision that increases or decreases the number or type of parking spaces to accommodate parking demand. Parking demand or reduction that encourages or supports the use of other modes of transportation, such as public transit, biking, or walking. Parking innovation or transformation that leverages new technologies or practices to improve parking efficiency and effectiveness.

6 How to communicate and share parking insights?

The final step of using spatial analysis is to communicate and share the parking insights with the relevant audiences and stakeholders, such as: Parking users, operators, or managers who need to know the current or future parking conditions and options. Parking planners, designers, or developers who need to know the parking needs and preferences of the users and the community. Parking policy makers, regulators, or advocates who need to know the parking impacts and implications of different decisions and actions. You can use spatial analysis to create and present compelling and informative stories, reports, or recommendations that highlight the key findings, challenges, and opportunities of parking, using maps, charts, graphs, or infographics.