Abstract
Beirut is a car-dependent city, with 80% of Beirut citizens using their private cars to move across the city (the rate of car ownership is higher than regional and global benchmarks: 627 cars/1000 in Beirut, 550/1000 in Dubai and 170/1000 in Singapore). This reality causes two related impacts: an increased parking demand and decreased public transportation usage. Furthermore, in order to discuss these aspects, our study addresses the following question: How can the municipality’s interventions and mobility system reforms, such as smart public transportation systems and shareable mobility, reduce parking demand? As our methodology, it consists of three sections: (1) determine Beirut's parking problems by estimating parking demand and supply; (2) assess the potential effects of Beirut municipality policies in comparison to international experiences; and (3) evaluate the potential impacts of the smart public transportation system and shareable mobility in reducing parking demand. This paper studies parking growth in developing countries, such as Lebanon, and can help planners, decision-makers, and the Beirut municipality to make more informed decisions about parking policies, and to meet growing parking demand by introducing smart interventions that have high local potentials.
Highlights
Jane Jacobs said in her significant book Dark Age Ahead “Not TV or illegal drugs, but the automobile has been the chief destroyer of American communities” [1]
We extend the unparking analysis started by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Senseable City Lab to our cities that suffer from the common urban challenge of high parking demand in order to discuss how smart public transportation and shareable mobility can reduce high parking demand in car-dependent cities, such as Beirut
There are many options to park: paid parking lots (41,490 spots), metered parking in the specific districts (7500 spots), free on-street parking or limited free underground parking provided by employers, which means that the majority of parking is on the streets and is free
Summary
Jane Jacobs said in her significant book Dark Age Ahead “Not TV or illegal drugs, but the automobile has been the chief destroyer of American communities” [1]. This sociologist’s perception clarifies the severe impact that cars have on human life in cities, and the fact that cars take up more space than people, especially in public areas. Contemporary parking policies intend to reduce private car trips, mitigate air pollution, and improve city life. Many cities, in particular in Southern European countries, are still preserving, if not increasing, their parking lots
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