A Philadelphia woman has turned her parking obsession into a comprehensive and interactive map of parking regulations on the city’s streets. According to citylab.com, Lauren Ancona was curious about parking rules in Philadelphia, and when she couldn’t find posted signs or even documents outlining those rules, she began to search for them. Her search led her to create a map of the city and its parking laws. That map has gone from an incomplete blue print version to a digital and highly accessible resource for residents.
We don’t all have parking obsessions, so most people aren’t going to need to know the parking laws for their entire city, like Ancona, but plenty of people could use street-by-street data for parking rules in their city and the cities they visit. “Know before you go” is practically a mantra for Millenials and the rest of us who tinker with our smart phones day and night. The map can be found at http://parkadelphia.com/#12/39.9540/-75.1751/9.2
On the map, you can select any or all of these layers of data from the sidebar on the left, and click on a street you’re curious about. The map will then pull up the parking rules.
It’s fascinating how this parking map came about – the tools, the demand and the creator all finally appeared at once. This is something every city could use – and it’s something a city should probably provide its residents, not the other way around.
Read the article and see the map here.
One Response
I am sad to report that my friend Steve Shannon passed away this morning. For the past year Steve had been waiting for a liver transplant. Steve, In my opinion, was the most creative designer of Parking Garages in the US. Starting with Parkway in Philly one can see Steves creativity in numerous mixed use garages with hospitals, apartments,and stores seamlessly integrated in easy traffic flowing structures. Steve moved on to heading up Carl Walker Engineers in NJ and then eventually starting his own company The Parking Man. Steve was active in the Parking Council and had a part in writing many parking manuels. Funny,smart and a dry wit many will remember his luncheon Seinfeld monologue at the NPA. When you talk about Parking leaders Steve was The Man.