Is the curb for parking, deliveries, valet, ride-share, taxis, horse and buggy, or buses?   If I had been asked this question over 20 years ago, I would have said it was for parking and generating revenue to help pay for infrastructure improvements to drive economic growth. But today, the answer is all above! Our industry has changed so much over the decades due to many different needs. But what I do know is that the curb is at capacity! So, the big question becomes, how do we manage it? Today’s technology plays a major role in helping us manage the curb.   I remember what a big deal it was to put solar pay stations on the street that allowed me to remove 12- 14 single space mechanical meters.  But looking at the technology today, you can place a sign with a QR code and that will lead the customer to platform to pay for parking by using the phone.   You do not really need anything else!  Nashville has been spending the past year working on a technology platform that manages the curb – all uses of the curb! This program is called Connect Downtown.  From the study, we set goals for a safe and comfortable downtown, one that’s connected and convenient, focuses on equitable and accessible, meets sustainable and resilient needs, is vibrant and inviting but balanced and reliable.   Wow, that is a lot to deliver to the community.  We are accomplishing this with five (5) big moves.   The first big move is managing congestion.   We are upgrading our signals to real time to manage special events, people and safety of all modes.  The next one is improved safety.  Being a vision zero county, we are making our roadway network safer for people.  Move three (3) is prioritizing our transit for better service and reliability throughout the region.  Building complete street networks with connected walking paths, bikeways, and micro mobility options for first and last miles is the fourth big move.  And the last big move, maximizing the curb by flexing the use based on needs, creating passenger loading or service unloading zones for deliveries, rideshares, taxis and AVs. Do not forget to include local businesses’ needs, venues and their modes of transporting people.  But mostly, make sure you address everything for your residents.  They are the foundation of everything that’s planned.   In the last year, we have added over one hundred and forty-five (145) bike and scooter corrals.  We’ve piloted a transit lane designed for special events that’s allowed for improving the time of exiting from the downtown Hub by over 50%.   We’ve established additional unloading zones that are flexed at 4 PM to 4 AM for ridesharing, taxi, etc and did a ridezone pilot that improved the traffic flow.  We’ve also organized the parking system for the curb, so that we have technology providing turns for businesses.  And now we are working closely with the community on the technology platform for managing the curb, similar to parking.  Technology is allowing us to advance and optimize how the city manages the curb, and we’re transforming how our downtown operates — making life easier for residents and business owners Diana W. Alarcon, PTMP, is the Director for Nashville Department of Transportation & Multimodal Infrastructure. Diana can be reached at diana.alarcon@nashville.gov.

We received so many great responses to the December 2025 question that we wanted to share them all!

Description coming soon!

Waterloo, Ontario – eleven-x®, a leader in smart parking and curbside management solutions, announced a smart parking initiative with the City of Virginia Beach, VA which is designed to improve the parking experience for drivers while helping parking managers understand how their parking is being used. With the recent launch of the eXactpark™ solution, the city has begun collecting data from more than 1,000 parking spaces located within their new Oceanfront parking garage. The goal of the project is to better understand parking behavior to improve the overall parking experience for the city’s 450,000 residents and over fourteen million annual visitors. The initiative is focused on serving drivers in a busy area located between the city’s ocean front Boardwalk and the Virginia Beach Convention Center which includes restaurants, retail businesses and accommodations for residents and visitors. Real-time data collected through the eXactpark solution will enable the implementation of digital displays and the eXactnav™ app (iOS, Android), to help drivers quickly locate available spaces in the garage, saving time and reducing the search for available parking. The City of Virginia Beach expects the project to deliver multiple benefits, including: Improved Traffic Flow: Reduces congestion caused by drivers searching for parking, particularly during peak summer tourist months. Enhanced Visitor Experience: Helps visitors find spaces quickly, improving their experience and encouraging repeat visits. Economic Benefits: Optimizes existing parking infrastructure, boosting revenue, and supporting local businesses by providing convenient customer access. Environmental Impact: Lowers emissions from idling vehicles and supports the city’s sustainability goals. Data-Driven Decisions: Provides accurate, true occupancy data to generate actionable insights for planning, infrastructure investments, and resource allocation. Support for Smart City Initiatives: Demonstrates the city’s commitment to leveraging innovative solutions that enhance residents’ quality of life. City officials are already seeing the value of the solution. “The data we’ve begun collecting through eXactpark is revealing important trends in how and when spaces within the garage are being used,” said Casi Hansford, Parking Operations Supervisor at the City of Virginia Beach. “The benefits of this solution are already helping us in many ways including reducing congestion due to searching and providing valuable analytics and insights which will help in terms of planning for future infrastructure, all while improving the day-to-day experience for residents and visitors.” “Virginia Beach is one of the most vibrant coastal cities in the U.S., and we’re proud to help deliver a modern parking experience that reduces congestion, supports local businesses, and advances their smart city goals,” said Dan Mathers, CEO, eleven-x. “With eXactpark, the city is setting a benchmark for how parking technology and data-driven solutions can create meaningful improvements for residents, visitors, and the community as a whole.” The city was able to streamline procurement of eXactpark™ through Sourcewell, which empowers public agencies with cooperative contracts, expertise, and resources to meet evolving community needs. As the second eXactpark deployment of its kind in the state, building on the pioneering program in Arlington County, the project highlights the state’s continued leadership in adopting innovative mobility solutions that enhance quality of life and support long-term growth. About eleven-x Inc.® eleven-x is a leader in smart parking and curbside management solutions, helping organizations improve the efficiency, safety, and accessibility of their parking operations. The company’s award-winning eXactpark™ solution delivers real-time, 24/7 stall occupancy data, enabling cities, airports, campuses, and parking managers to gain a comprehensive, data-driven understanding of their parking assets. With eXactpark, organizations can streamline curbside management, improve compliance, implement demand-based pricing and enhance the overall parking experience. The solution also supports real-time parking guidance through eleven-x’s eXactnav™ app and integrates seamlessly with third-party systems, helping drivers quickly locate available spaces, reduce congestion, and optimize mobility. Fully scalable, eXactpark empowers communities to balance parking and space utilization in any parking environment to help address evolving transportation challenges and improve quality of life. For more information, visit eleven-x.com and follow eleven-x on X (Twitter), LinkedIn, and YouTube.

Paris, France, and Miami, USA – Survision, the pioneering Franco-American company specialized in automatic vehicle recognition technologies, is proud to announce a major milestone in its history: a successful Management Buy-Out (MBO) supported by the majority fund Capital Export, secured through a €25 million investment to accelerate its growth and strengthen its position as the independent leader in License Plate Recognition (LPR) and Vehicle Identification solutions. A New Chapter of Independence and Ambition This operation marks a new phase in Survision’s strategic development. With the support of Capital Export, Survision reinforces its long-standing commitment to remain independent, standing out as one of the few LPR companies not acquired by an industrial player. “This investment allows us to pursue our vision of creating a truly open, neutral, and platform-agnostic vehicle recognition ecosystem,” said Jacques Jouannais, CEO of Survision group. “Our ambition is to become a global Vehicle Recognition Platform, seamlessly compatible with any payment or mobility system.” A Strategic Move Toward Global Leadership The new funding will accelerate Survision’s AI innovation roadmap, international expansion, and the deployment of next-generation vehicle recognition technologies that power smart cities, parking , tolling and access control worldwide. In addition, this operation provides Survision with the financial strength to pursue a build-up strategy, enabling the company to acquire and integrate other key players in the mobility sector. These targeted acquisitions will reinforce Survision’s technological edge and broaden its global footprint. Capital Export’s participation brings strategic and financial expertise to support Survision’s growth, while ensuring that its entrepreneurial DNA and technological independence remain intact. Managers and Employees at the Heart of the Adventure One of the most distinctive aspects of this MBO is that Survision’s managers and some employees are now shareholders. This collective participation embodies the company’s values of unity, authenticity, and shared success. “The fact that the team is directly invested in the company’s future gives Survision an authentic and unique energy” said Charles-Antoine Eliard, Managing Partner at Capital Export. “Our role is to provide the long-term capital and strategic support that will allow Survision’s teams to fully realize their international ambitions while preserving their independence and innovation culture.” About Survision Founded in 2001, Survision is a leading provider of Vehicle Identification and License Plate Recognition (LPR) technologies serving transportation, mobility, and security industries across more than 36 countries. The company’s proprietary camera and software solutions deliver unmatched speed, accuracy, and reliability to partners in parking, access control, tolling and smart mobility ecosystems. Survision’s vision is to create a global vehicle recognition infrastructure, empowering seamless interaction between vehicles and digital services worldwide. Website: www.survisiongroup.com Press Contact: Sofia Kuhn sku@survisiongroup.com About Capital Export Capital Export is a French private equity firm dedicated to financing and supporting the international growth of small and mid-sized companies. By combining long-term capital investment with operational expertise, Capital Export helps entrepreneurs accelerate their development abroad while maintaining strategic and operational independence. More information: https://www.capital-export.fr/en