The July/August Ask the Experts question generated so many strong responses that not all could be included in one place. Click here to view the responses featured in Parking & Mobility magazine, then continue reading for additional insights.

 

In what ways can parking professionals move beyond operations to become active contributors to the social and economic vitality of the communities they serve?

 

Scott Petri, President, Mobility & Parking Advisors LLC
First, ensure your facility is first-class in looks and professionalism.

Second, ask the city council how you can help. Sometimes it’s simple things like making space available for special events or supporting a neighborhood activity. Third, talk to neighborhood businesses about their needs.

Steve Rebora, R.A., President & CEO, DESMAN, Inc.
As a Parking Design Professional, I often think of the quote, “We shape our buildings; thereafter, they shape us” by Winston Churchill. It emphasizes that human-designed environments, even parking structures, can directly influence our behavior, relationships, and daily lives. Well-designed garages actively shape the vitality of the communities they serve.

Aaron Chaves, CTA, Vice President of Operations, Parking Company of America
Parking professionals have an opportunity to evolve from operators into true community partners. We sit at the intersection of access, mobility, and local economics, which puts us in a unique position to support broader goals. By collaborating with cities, businesses, and other stakeholders and using data to drive smarter decisions, we can reduce turnover, support local commerce, and enhance overall customer experience. Thoughtful program management and user-focused strategies help shape how people engage with a destination. When parking is aligned with economic development, sustainability, and equity, we contribute meaningfully to the vitality of the communities we serve.

Greg Hladik, PhD, Executive Director, University of Texas at Arlington
Parking and mobility professionals in higher education have an opportunity to help universities become better neighbors through stronger strategies and partnerships with the surrounding communities. Here are three ways they can do that: First, create shared parking agreements that support local business districts in the evenings, on weekends, and during special events, rather than leaving parking assets underutilized. Second, build transit and mobility partnerships that connect students and employees to local restaurants, entertainment districts, and retail areas, so campuses contribute to the surrounding economy rather than operate separately from it. Third, design customer-focused mobility systems that make campuses feel more open, accessible, and connected to the surrounding city. When parking and mobility teams focus on improving access and reducing friction, they strengthen both the campus experience and the broader town-and-gown relationship.

Andrew Sachs, PTMP, President, Gateway Parking Services
Parking is the first handshake and the last goodbye of every visit. That makes us ambassadors before we’re operators. We can light streets that feel safer, train staff who know the neighborhood, share data that helps planners think clearly, and turn dead garage walls into local art, local stories, and local pride. We can partner with restaurants, transit, events, and EV networks, and hire from the block we serve. The garage is civic infrastructure posing as a parking lot. The professionals who recognize that build trust, traffic, and tax base. Everyone else just collects tickets.

Jonathan Haney, PTMP, Executive Director, Allentown Parking Authority
Community engagement has been a high priority for the Allentown Parking Authority. We hired a Community Relations Specialist and began proactive outreach to our community. Those engagements come in many forms, such as attending neighborhood meetings, participating in city outreach events, and hosting town hall gatherings. This kind of activity does require a lot of extra effort beyond the normal duties of the job. However, I think it’s paying off, and the city and community are starting to see the positive impact of what we do. Changing one perspective at a time is rewarding, and we continue to strive to do just that!

Vanessa R. Cummings, PTMP, Consultant, Ms. V Consulting, LLC
Parking professionals should engage in community service projects and civic organizations. Take the opportunity to share what you do, your expertise, and your services wherever appropriate. You may find ways for your organization to give back to the community through ticket reduction or forgiveness if recipients donate to your outreach program that gives back to the community.

Katherine Beaty, PTMP, CFE, President, Beaty Solutions
I have never met a parking professional who got into this industry to change the world, but I have met plenty who did it anyway, quietly, without fanfare, through safer lots, fairer policies, second chances given to someone who needed a job, and a genuine investment in the neighborhood where they operate. That is the real answer. We give back by deciding that the community we serve is not just a customer base. It is our community too.

Angelo Cole, PTMP, PECP, Lead Enforcement, SUNY Brockport
I don’t see our role as simply managing spaces. We shape how people access and experience a campus or community. Our job is to enable access, not to store cars. That means aligning with broader mobility strategies, using data to inform decisions, and supporting economic activity. We should also rethink our assets, activating underused spaces and contributing to land-use conversations. The user experience matters, and so does our role in sustainability. When we broaden our perspective, parking and transportation become more than operations — they become meaningful contributors to the vitality of the communities we serve.

Nancy Kobielski, PTMP, Associate Director, Business Services and Communications, University at Buffalo
Parking professionals can move beyond operations by engaging directly with the community through seeking feedback and understanding local needs. Volunteering, building partnerships with local organizations, and hosting initiatives like a “Donations for Citations” program can help build trust while revealing the human side of the profession.

Henry Broback, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Plix AI Body Cameras
Socialize the good work your organization is doing with the communities it serves through social media and published engagements. Improvements to accessibility in garages, equity in communication with patrons, and visual improvements to spaces done as part of operations make waves beyond parking. Making someone feel safe and welcome where they park creates a first impression that is likely to influence how much time and money they spend in the community.

Rafael Abanilla, PTMP, Senior Vice President, Parking Concepts, Inc.
Parking is not the end of the trip. It is the front door to the community experience. When we treat parking as a dynamic system, we can align access, pricing, and flow with stakeholder priorities across municipal, business, resident, and visitor needs. Demand-based pricing, shared parking, flexible inventory, mobile payments, intuitive permits, and clear support reduce friction and improve equity of access. AI can sharpen decisions through better data, forecasting, and planning, but the human touch keeps the experience trusted and responsive. Operated well, parking connects mobility, commerce, and community in ways that help places thrive.

Ben Weber, AICP, Consultant, Walker Consultants
Parking professionals can put parking problems (real or perceived) in perspective for communities, helping elected officials, planners, business owners, and other stakeholders grasp driving/parking as just one element of overall community mobility. As communities pursue more holistic curb management strategies to integrate parking, loading, curbside people spaces, infrastructure, transit, bikeways, and many other access functions, parking professionals can advise on the mechanics of operations, pricing, enforcement, and other tools that help truly implement curb management alongside more deliberate principles around off-street public and private parking.

Derek Ellis, Technical Product Owner, Ocra
Parking professionals have always managed space. The opportunity now is to manage outcomes. The right technology can transform a parking operation from a cost center into a community asset. Real-time data, dynamic pricing, and seamless payments don’t just improve the driver experience. They give municipalities and operators the intelligence to make smarter decisions about land use, transit connections, and economic development.

The parking professionals who will matter most to their communities are the ones asking not just “is the lot full?” but “what does that data tell us about how this neighborhood moves, and how can we help it move better?”

Dawn Miller, Curb Management and Mobility Consultant, Walker Consultants
Parking professionals can actively engage with their local governments as stakeholders in public debates around curb management and parking policy. Off-street parking businesses can benefit from better-managed curb space, and they can bring expertise and data to conversations about properly pricing curb space, the benefits of good wayfinding, and allocating sufficient curb space to alternatives to car storage (e.g., passenger and goods loading). These, in turn, contribute to the vitality and appeal of communities and reduce emissions and physical hazards.

Parking professionals can also engage with local government to inform them when building codes, zoning regulations, or other rules or processes impede their ability to move forward with socially beneficial business lines, such as EV charging, delivery hubs, or non-traditional uses of garage space. We can’t assume policymakers know all the practical implications of every rule on the books — especially old rules. Identify government policymakers (they may not be your usual point of contact) and share your ideas and constraints with them.  They are often motivated to adopt rules to promote private sector efforts that align with community goals.

Alex Curtis, Senior Director of Government and Community Relations, Metropolis Technologies
In Nashville, we launched a now nationally recognized program called Park & Play, which provides 100% free parking for local musicians playing at venues across the city. We did this not only because we know that the music scene and its people are the lifeblood of Nashville, but because supporting locals is something we care deeply about. The reception from our music community has been amazing thus far, and we are proud to partner with them.

Brandy DuFon, PTMP, MBA, VP, State & Local Market Development, Flash Parking
Get involved in the community by visiting business owners, attending government meetings, volunteering for or sponsoring projects, and joining neighborhood associations. Most dense downtown or urban areas have some form of organization to get involved in — these activities are vehicles for building community and consensus for everyone’s benefit.

Brooke Krieger, MPA, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Passport
Parking professionals create impact when they stop managing spaces and start managing outcomes. Parking is an economic infrastructure. Pricing, enforcement, and curb policy shape access to businesses, turnover, and district vitality. That means partnering with economic development, using data to guide decisions, and aligning metrics with community goals.

The bigger shift is at the curb. It’s no longer about storing cars but managing access for deliveries, rideshare, and increasingly autonomous vehicles (AVs). As AVs scale, value moves from duration to access. Parking leaders who design for that future and communicate it clearly become drivers of both economic growth and quality of life.

Tyler Mitchell, PTMP, Parking and Curbside Management Administrator, City of Westminster
Parking professionals contribute far beyond basic operations when we focus on access, safety, and economic vitality. Well‑managed turnover, especially in downtown areas, helps small businesses thrive by keeping spaces available and encouraging people to visit and stay longer. My team also addresses citywide parking complaints, including abandoned vehicles, expired plates, and RVs, which directly improves neighborhood safety and quality of life. As mobility evolves, we help manage curbside needs, including ADA access, EV charging, deliveries, and micromobility. When we collaborate with residents, businesses, and partner departments, parking becomes a connector that supports a cleaner, more vibrant, and more functional community. When we embrace that purpose, we don’t just manage the curb. We help shape a stronger, more vibrant community.