With many office and commercial buildings being converted to residential use, two important issues—curbside management and parking—are sometimes not given their due attention. Cities need to assess how vehicle storage, bike and bus lanes, and drop-off zones in front of buildings may need to change because of office-to-residential conversions.
Curbside space is a hot commodity for residents who want to be picked up or dropped off near the building entrance.
In commercial and mixed-use settings, short-term parking for delivery drivers is essential. Mass transit stops and parking for cars, bikes, and micromobility vehicles also require curbside space.
City planners are challenged to create traffic configurations and allocate enough space for all uses. Studies of how curbsides are being used can help planners better design solutions.
Added parking meters or activated alleyways are among the possible remedies for office-to-residential conversions.
Related Stories
Multifamily Housing | Aug 17, 2022
California strip mall goes multifamily residential
Tiny Tim Plaza started out as a gas station and a dozen or so stores. Now it’s a thriving mixed-use community, minus the gas station.
Urban Planning | Jul 19, 2022
The EV charger station market is appealing to investors and developers, large and small
The latest entry, The StackCharge, is designed to make recharging time seem shorter.
Adaptive Reuse | May 18, 2022
An auto plant in Detroit to get a retread as mixed-use housing
Fisher 21 Lofts could be the largest minority-led redevelopment in the city’s history.
Industrial Facilities | Apr 1, 2022
Robust demand strains industrial space supply
JLL’s latest report finds a shift toward much larger buildings nearer urban centers, which fetch higher rents.
Healthcare Facilities | Mar 25, 2022
Health group converts bank building to drive-thru clinic
Edward-Elmhurst Health and JTS Architects had to get creative when turning an American Chartered Bank into a drive-thru clinic for outpatient testing and vaccinations.
Adaptive Reuse | Dec 16, 2021
An adaptive reuse of a historic building in San Francisco was worth the wait
A five-year-long project included extensive restoration.
Adaptive Reuse | Nov 1, 2021
CallisonRTKL explores converting decommissioned cruise ships for housing
The rapid increase in cruise ship decommissioning during the last 18 months has created a unique opportunity to innovate and adapt these large ships.
Multifamily Housing | Oct 21, 2021
Chicago’s historic Lathrop public housing complex gets new life as mixed-income community
A revitalized New Deal–era public housing community in Chicago brings the Garden City movement of yesteryear into the 21st century.
Adaptive Reuse | Aug 25, 2021
The first net-zero hotel in the U.S. is nearing completion in Connecticut
Solar arrays will provide the electricity for the Hotel Marcel, whose name recalls the building’s original designer.
Adaptive Reuse | Aug 13, 2021
Developers are repositioning vacant space as charter schools
Transwestern is working with the National Alliance of Public Charter Schools to provide a turnkey solution.