The planning side of our industry has actively promoted the concept of shared parking for more than 20 years now. The idea basically states that two or more land uses can share a parking space because their peak utilization patterns will allow for variations in demand. Basically, I need the parking space in the morning, you need it in the afternoon, so let’s build one space and save $20,000. The concept has been wildly successful at mixed use developments and shopping centers, helping right-size parking supply and save precious land.

The concept has and will continue to evolve over time, allowing for better use of limited space. But new trends in our ever-changing world may change the way we define shared parking. In one of my recent posts, I discussed the trends that were changing the transportation and parking industry. One of the defining trends is the idea of shared resources, including ridesharing, carsharing, and bike sharing. All of these trends are well documented, with high-profile providers like Uber, Car 2 Go, and CitiBike making headlines across the country.

What’s not as highly documented is the idea of parking sharing. While the concept isn’t new, it certainly doesn’t get the headlines that Uber does. A coworker of mine in Atlanta recently got a SpotShare app and says it has completely changed the dynamic of how parking is utilized in his residential tower. The app allows residents to donate their spaces when not used, or request spaces for guest parking. What was once a challenging exercise is now an easily managed system. While currently reserved for resident and guest parking, the system has the potential to unlock unused spaces throughout a parking system.

Another example is occurring on the west coast of the U.S., with the Luxe Valet app, which allows motorists to request an on-demand valet (similar in concept to Uber, but for parking your car). The app works by allowing a motorist to request a valet near his or her destination. A meeting space is arranged and the driver arrives, gives the key to the valet, and the car is whisked away to a local facility with pre-arranged parking agreements in place. The motorist is no longer looking for visible public spaces because the valet company has linked them to previously underutilized private space.

Both of these concepts get at the true meaning of shared parking, which is providing parking for destinations without requiring an overabundance of parking assets to support their use. Traditionally, parking was shared among property or business owners as a resource for their customers. However, these trends are shifting the shared parking decision to the user and unlocking a whole new set of possibilities within the parking industry. It may not be too much longer before we can achieve a vision of a fully shared parking systems that doesn’t carry a designation as public or private, just parking.