When we speak about curb equity, we are not speaking about proportional access to the curb. If access were proportional, national delivery fleets would dominate all loading zones and cars would dominate all other on-street inventory. When we speak about curb equity, we are referring to equitable access to the curb within an ecosystem that is aware and considers the various people, business, and vehicles that utilize the curb. Curb space is limited and the competition for this space increases almost daily. Parking administrators and policy makers work with their staffs to craft policy that addresses this added volume but must also consider the downstream effects of these policies. What do we do to accommodate the increase in delivery vehicles? How do we best manage TNC drop-offs and pick-ups? When viewing things through this prism of curb equity, we must also answer questions like how curbside regulations affect the people using the curb? Are we treating all of my citizenship equitably? Did this new initiative disproportionally affect the business community?

To fully define curb equity, we must consider all parties with interests in the curb. In this month’s Parking & Mobility magazine, Keith Hutchings, City of Detroit; and Christopher Perry, CAPP, ParkTrans Solutions, LLC, explore curb equity: What it means, different groups to consider, why it’s important, and how to incorporate it into a curb management strategy. It’s a great resource–get your copy here.