{{short description|Cleared area for parking vehicles}} {{for multi|other uses|Parking lot (disambiguation)|parking areas along highways|Rest area}} {{Use American English|date=October 2020}} {{Use mdy dates|date=December 2022}} [[File:Angle parking lot diagram.PNG|thumb|Diagram of example parking lot layout with angle parking as seen from above|320x320px]] [[File:Multi-level stack parking NYC 07 2010 9583.JPG|thumb|A parking lot in [[Manhattan]], New York City, in 2010, with its capacity increased through multiple level stacked parking using mechanical lifts]] [[File:Subterranean parking lot.jpg|thumb|A subterranean parking lot of a Brazilian shopping mall taken in 2016]] [[File:Car_Park_in_Dazaifu,_Fukuoka.jpg|thumb|right|Car park with drop arm in [[Dazaifu, Fukuoka]]]] [[File:Bay 2 mall parking, on a Sunday morning, Collégien, France - July 2019.jpg|thumb|Parking lot outside of a [[shopping mall]] in [[Collégien, France]], demonstrating the design of prioritizing spaces for cars over spaces for people]] [[File:Tempat parkir.jpg|thumb|right|Motorcycle parking lot in [[Surakarta]], Indonesia]] A '''parking lot''' ([[North American English]]) or '''car park''' ([[British English]]), also known as a '''car lot''', is a cleared area intended for [[parking]] vehicles. The term usually refers to an area dedicated only for parking, with a durable or semi-durable surface. In most jurisdictions where [[cars]] are the dominant mode of [[transportation]], parking lots are a major feature of cities and suburban areas. [[Shopping mall]]s, [[stadium|sports stadiums]], and other similar venues often have immense parking lots. (See also: [[multistorey car park]])
Parking lots tend to be sources of [[water pollution]] because of their extensive [[impervious surfaces]], and because most have limited or no facilities to control runoff. Many areas today also require minimum [[landscaping]] in parking lots to provide shade and to help mitigate the extent of which their paved surfaces contribute to [[heat islands]]. Many [[municipalities]] require a [[Parking minimum|minimum numbers of parking spaces]] for buildings such as stores (by floor area) and apartment complexes (by number of bedrooms). In the United States, each state's [[department of transportation]] requires a fraction of lot spaces to be reserved for people holding a [[disabled parking permit]]. Modern parking lots use various technologies to enable motorists to pay parking fees, help them find unoccupied spaces and retrieve their vehicles, and improve their parking experiences.
==Planning and economics==
A 2015 study of US parking lots found that the average cost of construction, excluding the cost of the land purchase, was about {{currency|24000|US|fmt=gaps|linked=no}} per space for a surface lot and {{currency|34000|US|fmt=gaps|linked=no}} per space for an underground lot.<ref name=ShoupCityLab>{{cite web|last=Shoup|first=Donald|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-09-20/how-to-reform-your-city-s-bad-parking-requirements|title=Parking Reform Will Save the City|work=Bloomberg CityLab|date=2019-09-20}}</ref> [[Donald Shoup]], professor of urban planning at the [[University of California, Los Angeles]], estimated in 2023 that the United States had between 700 million and 2 billion parking spaces overall, amounting to 2.5 to 7.0 spaces per car.<ref name=WoodardJalopnik>{{cite news|last=Woodard|first=Collin|url=https://www.jalopnik.com/us-has-2-billion-parking-spaces-ruining-our-cities-1850294200/|title=America Has As Many As 2 Billion Parking Spaces, And They're Ruining Our Cities|date=2023-04-03|work=Jalopnik}}</ref>
The effect of large-scale in-city parking has long been contentious. The replacement of historic structures by garages and lots has led to historical preservation movements in many cities. The massive acreage devoted to parking is widely seen as disruptive to the walkable urban fabric, maximizing convenience to each individual building but hampering foot traffic between them. Large paved areas have been called "parking craters", "parking deserts", and similar terms, emphasizing their "depopulated" nature and the barriers they can create to [[walking#culture|walking movement]].
=== Parking minimums and maximums === {{Main|Parking mandates}}
Urban planning policies such as parking minimums and maximums can influence the size of private parking lots.
=== Criticism === Due to a recent trend{{Explain|date=October 2021}} towards more livable and walkable communities, parking minimums (policies requiring each building to have a minimum number of parking spaces) have been criticized by both livable streets advocates<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.streetsblog.org/2008/08/20/how-to-fix-off-street-parking-policy-before-its-too-late/ | title=How to Fix Off-Street Parking Policy, Before It's Too Late | publisher=StreetsBlog NYC | date=20 August 2008 | access-date=27 March 2015 | author=Fried, Ben | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402101446/http://www.streetsblog.org/2008/08/20/how-to-fix-off-street-parking-policy-before-its-too-late/ | archive-date=2 April 2015 }}</ref> and developers alike. For a time, the British government recommended that local councils should establish maximum parking standards to discourage car use.<ref>[http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/155634.pdf Communities.gov.uk] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090306062305/http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/155634.pdf |date=2009-03-06 }}</ref> American cities such as Washington, DC, are now considering removing parking minimums as a way to add more housing for residents while encouraging the use of public transit.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/housingcomplex/2013/03/20/out-damned-spot-how-d-c-s-onerous-parking-requirements-slow-development/|title=Out, Damned Spot! How D.C.'s Onerous Parking Requirements Slow Development|date=21 March 2013 |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213181946/http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/housingcomplex/2013/03/20/out-damned-spot-how-d-c-s-onerous-parking-requirements-slow-development/|archive-date=2013-12-13}}</ref> Parking lots designed specifically for bicycle parking are also becoming more prevalent in response to increased environmental and health consciousness. These may include [[bicycle parking rack]]s and locks, as well as more modern technologies for security and convenience.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://hamarisociety.co.in/parking | title=Parking Management Software | publisher=Hamari Society | date=11 December 2018 | access-date=9 December 2018 | archive-date=December 15, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215173507/https://hamarisociety.co.in/parking | url-status=dead }}</ref> For instance, a growing number of bicycle parking lots in Tokyo include [[automated parking system]]s.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Springer |first1=Kate |last2=Han |first2=Sol |title=Japan's crazy underground bike vaults |url=https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/japan-underground-bike-vaults/index.html |website=[[CNN.com|CNN Style]] |access-date=18 July 2018 |date=19 October 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://weburbanist.com/2015/03/26/invisible-bicycles-tokyos-high-tech-underground-bike-parking/ | title=Invisible Bicycles: Tokyo's High-Tech Underground Bike Parking | publisher=Web Urbanist | date=26 March 2015 | access-date=27 March 2015 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150328220831/http://weburbanist.com/2015/03/26/invisible-bicycles-tokyos-high-tech-underground-bike-parking/ | archive-date=28 March 2015 }}</ref>
Efforts to reduce the amount of space dedicated to parking lots for diminishing the dependence on cars, has been taken in [[Beijing]], [[Mexico City]], [[Delhi]] and different cities in [[California]].<ref name=institute/> [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]], [[Minneapolis]], [[Austin, Texas|Austin]] abolished the requirement for parking minimum. As of 2 November 2023, Austin (Texas) is the biggest city in the US that has done so - for encouraging walking, biking, public transit, lowering the cost of housing, and increasing the amount of housing units that can be built in the city territory.<ref>{{cite news |last1=FECHTER |first1=JOSHUA |title=To fight climate change and housing shortage, Austin becomes largest U.S. city to drop parking-spot requirements |url=https://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/02/austin-minimum-parking-requirements-housing-shortage/ |access-date=7 November 2023 |agency=Texas tribune |date=2 November 2023}}</ref>
==Legal issues== [[File:Handicapped Accessible sign.svg|thumb|125px|Universal sign for [[disabled parking permit|disabled parking]]]]
===Sweden and Denmark=== [[File:Rural parking lot at Kovik, Gotland.jpg|thumb|Rural parking lot, [[Gotland]], Sweden]] In [[Sweden]] and [[Denmark]], there are legally two types of car parking, either on streets and roads, or on private land. A parking violation on streets is a traffic crime, resulting in fines. A parking violation on private land (also if owned by the city) is a contract violation and gives an additional parking fee ({{langx|sv|kontrollavgift}} = check fee). The difference is small for the car owner, and the owner is always responsible.
===United Kingdom=== The [[United Kingdom]] has two types of car parking: either on public or on private land. The police will investigate any reported accident on public land, but have no legal obligation and will not do so on private land. Public road is defined by the [[Road Traffic Act 1972]] and the [[Road Traffic Act 1972 (Amendment) Regulations 1988]] ([[SI 1988]]/1036)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1988/Ukpga_19880052_en_8.htm#mdiv192|title=Road Traffic Act 1988|website=www.opsi.gov.uk|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060909073327/http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1988/Ukpga_19880052_en_8.htm#mdiv192|archive-date=2006-09-09}}</ref> as: "Road", in relation to [[England and Wales]], means any highway and any other road to which the public has access, and includes bridges over which a road passes. There is also a [[House of Lords]] judgment on this matter.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld199798/ldjudgmt/jd981022/clarke01.htm|title=House of Lords - Clark (A.P.) and Others v. Kato, Smith and General Accident Fire & Life Assurance Corporation PLCCutter v. Eagle Star Insurance Company |website=publications.parliament.uk |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170224161512/https://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld199798/ldjudgmt/jd981022/clarke01.htm|archive-date=2017-02-24}}</ref>
[[Civil enforcement officer]]s enforce parking restrictions on public, council-run car parks. These include failure to purchase a ticket as payment (if available)/not parking in a marked bay/other offences.
===United States=== In the United States, each state's [[Department of Transportation]] sets the proper ratio for disabled spaces for private businesses and public parking lots. Certain circumstances may demand more designated spaces. These reserved spaces are mandated by the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines.<ref>[http://www.access-board.gov/adaag/html/adaag.htm#4.6 ADA Accessibility Guidelines Parking and Passenger Loading Zones] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514214351/http://www.access-board.gov/adaag/html/adaag.htm |date=2011-05-14 }}</ref>
==Payment== [[File:Parking, 5c.,1949.jpg|thumb|upright|Parking, 5 cents a day, [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]], United States, 1949]] [[File:-74wiki.jpg|thumb|Barriers can be installed so that parking is not possible without payment.]] Various forms of technology are used to charge motorists for the use of a parking lot.
[[Boom barrier|Boom gates]] are used in many parking lots. A customer arrives at the entry [[ticket machine]] by vehicle, presses the ticket request push button, takes a ticket - which raises the barrier - and enters the parking lot. To exit the lot, the customer presents the ticket to a cashier in a booth at the exit and tenders payment, after which the cashier opens the boom gate.
In 1954, the first automated parking lots were built where, for a monthly fee, a driver with a magnetic key card could enter and exit the parking lot by raising and lowering the boom.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AeADAAAAMBAJ&q=1954+Popular+Mechanics+January&pg=PA94 |title=Key Card Inserted In Slot Opens Gate At Automated Parking Lot|work=Popular Science|date= August 1954|page= 94|publisher=Hearst Magazines}} (mid page)</ref>
A more modern system uses automatic pay stations, where the driver presents the ticket and pays the fee required before returning to their car, then drives to the exit terminal and presents the ticket. If the ticket has not been paid for, the [[boom barrier]] will not raise, which will force the customer to either press the [[intercom]] and speak to a staff member, or reverse out to pay at the pay station or cashier booth.
At some major airports' parking lots in the United States, a driver can choose to swipe a credit card at the entry ticket dispenser instead of taking a ticket. When the driver swipes the same credit card at the exit terminal upon leaving the lot, the applicable parking fee is automatically calculated and charged to the credit card used.
In some parking lots, drivers present their tickets to and pay the cashiers at a separate cashier's office or counter (which are often located elsewhere from the entrances and exits of carparks). Such cashier's offices are called shroff offices or simply shroff in some parking lots in [[Hong Kong]] and other parts of East Asia influenced by the Hong Kong usage. If a ticket has not been paid, the barrier will not raise. In recent years, cashiers and shroff officers have often been replaced with automated machines.{{citation needed|date=December 2015}} Another variant of payment has motorists paying an attendant on entry to the lot, with the way out guarded by a one-way [[spike strip]] that will only allow cars to exit.{{citation needed|date=December 2015}}
[[Parking meters]] can also be used, with motorists paying in advance for the time required for the bay they are parked in. Pango (a play on "pay and go"<ref name="Furman">{{cite news|work=New York Daily News|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/parking-app-pango-making-tracks-nyc-adding-20-garages-weeks-article-1.1418759|title=Parking app Pango making tracks in NYC, adding 20 more garages over next few weeks (App that speeds up pick-ups and payments spreading to 110 Manhattan garages by year-end)|last=Furman|first=Phyllis|date=August 6, 2013|access-date=January 17, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222130837/http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/parking-app-pango-making-tracks-nyc-adding-20-garages-weeks-article-1.1418759|archive-date=December 22, 2015}}</ref>), a company founded in Israel in 2007, created a mobile app that allows users to both find and pay for available metered parking; the app can also be used to pay for garage parking.<ref name="Furman" /> Users' accounts are linked to a payment method, and the system remembers where a vehicle is parked and allows users to share a parking session with [[Facebook]] friends. Users may also, for a nominal monthly fee per registered car, subscribe to reminders that text alerts shortly before metered time expires,<ref>{{cite news |date=November 4, 2014 |title=Mt. Vernon Launches Pango Mobile Payments for Parking on November 5 |url=http://www.mypango.com/pango/news/november-4-2014-mount-vernon-inquirer-mt-vernon-launches-pango-mobile-payments-parking-november-5/ |work=Mount Vernon Inquirer |author=Staff Writer }}{{dead link|date=March 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> and in some municipalities, users may buy additional metered time via cellphone. Philadelphia encourages parking space turnover by charging escalating parking fees when metered time is added.<ref>{{cite news|title=Pango Mobile Parking App Coming to Philadelphia|date= May 21, 2015 |author= Philadelphia Parking Authority Staff|work= The PPA Blog}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|website=Parking Network|title=PANGO Mobile Parking|url=http://www.parking-net.com/parking-industry/pango-mobile-parking|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222132805/http://www.parking-net.com/parking-industry/pango-mobile-parking|archive-date=2015-12-22}}</ref> Another app, Streetline, whose primary purpose is to help motorists find open parking spots using their smartphones, includes a timer, so users can get back to a parking meter before it expires, and a filter that lets users choose between on-street and off-street parking spaces; it also connects to the phone's camera so a user can take a photograph of their car.<ref>{{cite web|website=Mother Nature Network|url=http://www.mnn.com/green-tech/transportation/blogs/streetline-app-aims-to-end-the-hunt-for-a-parking-space|author=Motavalli, Jim|title=''New York Times'' contributor blogs about interesting ways of getting around. Streetline app aims to end the hunt for a parking space|date=October 11, 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222113847/http://www.mnn.com/green-tech/transportation/blogs/streetline-app-aims-to-end-the-hunt-for-a-parking-space|archive-date=December 22, 2015}}</ref>
Other lots operate on a [[pay and display]] system, where a ticket is purchased from a ticket machine and then placed on the dashboard of the car. [[Parking enforcement officer]]s patrol the lot to ensure compliance with the requirement.{{citation needed|date=December 2015}}
Similar to this is the system where the parking is paid by the [[mobile phone]] by sending an [[SMS]] message which contains the [[license plate]] number. In this case, the virtual cashier books the car and the time when the message is sent, and later, a new SMS message must be sent whenever the time is due. The actual payment is then made via the mobile phone bill.{{citation needed|date=December 2015}}
Since 1978 in the [[United Kingdom]], it has been possible to pre-book parking with specialist companies, such as [[Better Choice Parking|BCP]]. This is prevalent at all airports, major ports, and cities.
==Technology== [[File:Car park sensor.jpg|thumb|Sensors above each lot in this indoor parking lot determine if a car has already taken the spot.]]
Modern parking lots use a variety of technologies to help motorists find unoccupied parking spaces using [[parking guidance and information]] system, retrieve their vehicles, and improve their experience. This includes adaptive lighting, [[sensor]]s, [[indoor positioning system]] (IPS) and [[mobile payment]] options. The Santa Monica Place shopping mall in California has cameras on each stall that can help count the lot occupancy and find lost cars.<ref name="lat-snoop">{{cite news |author=Martha Groves |url=https://www.latimes.com/local/la-xpm-2011-jan-23-la-me-santa-monica-parking-20110123-story.html |title=Servant or snoop in the parking garage? |date=January 23, 2011 |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=August 29, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20140831232406/http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jan/23/local/la-me-santa-monica-parking-20110123 |archive-date=August 31, 2014 }}</ref>
In outdoor parking lots, [[GPS]] can be used to remember the location of a vehicle (some apps saves location automatically when turning off the car when a smartphone breaks communication with a vehicle's [[Bluetooth]] connection).{{citation needed|date=March 2015}} In indoor parking lots, one option is to record one's [[Wi-Fi signature]] (signal strengths observed for several detectable access points) to remember the location of a vehicle.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cylab.cmu.edu/files/pdfs/mobility/Wi_Fi_Locationing_2008.pdf |title=Room-Level Wi-Fi Location Tracking |author=Joshua Correa, Ed Katz, Patricia Collins, Martin Griss |publisher=Carnegie Mellon Silicon Valley MRC-TR-2008-02 |date=November 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303221234/https://www.cylab.cmu.edu/files/pdfs/mobility/Wi_Fi_Locationing_2008.pdf |archive-date=2016-03-03 }}</ref> Another alternative is to use smartphone applications that does inertial dead reckoning, detection of turns made by the car while driving indoor, correlations of travel time between turns, and machine learning algorithms, to infer the rough location of the parked car based on a map or floorplan.<ref name="parkloc">{{cite journal |last1=Cherian |first1=Jim |last2=Luo |first2=Jun |last3=Ho |first3=Shen-Shyang |title=ParkLoc: Light-weight Graph-based Vehicular Localization in Parking Garages |journal=Proceedings of the ACM on Interactive, Mobile, Wearable and Ubiquitous Technologies |date=18 September 2018 |volume=2 |issue=3 |pages=1–23 |doi=10.1145/3264909 |s2cid=214703023 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326989235}}</ref><ref name="vetrack">{{cite journal |last1=Gao |first1=R. |last2=Zhao |first2=M. |last3=Ye |first3=T. |last4=Ye |first4=F. |last5=Wang |first5=Y. |last6=Luo |first6=G. |title=Smartphone-Based Real Time Vehicle Tracking in Indoor Parking Structures |journal=IEEE Transactions on Mobile Computing |date=July 2017 |volume=16 |issue=7 |pages=2023–2036 |doi=10.1109/TMC.2017.2684167|doi-access=free |bibcode=2017ITMC...16.2023G }}</ref>
[[Computer reservations system|Online booking]] technology service providers have been created to help drivers find long-term parking in an automated manner, while also providing significant savings for those who book parking spaces ahead of time. They use real-time inventory management checking technology to display parking lots with availability, sorted by price and distance from the airport.
There are mobile apps providing services for the reservation of long-term parking lot spaces, similar to online or aggregate parking facility booking services. Some long-term parking mobile apps also have turn-by-turn maps to locate the parking lot, notably US and UK based [[ParkJockey]].
===Solar canopy parking lots=== {{See also|Green parking lot}} [[File:Parking under Solar Canopy (52937580768).jpg|thumb|[[Solar canopy]] parking lot in [[New Haven]] at Hotel Marcel. There are EV [[Charging station#SAE|level 2]] chargers underneath the canopy and a 12-stall [[Tesla Supercharger]] behind.]] [[Solar canopy#Solar canopy parking lots|Solar canopy parking lots]] are [[Solar Arrays|solar arrays]] installed on [[Canopy (architecture)|canopies]] in parking lots. They are up to twice as expensive to install as normal open field solar arrays because the added material in the structure to elevate them for cars to park underneath. They can also be useful at protecting cars from extreme weather and the [[Sun]]'s heat.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeaQUhAOdtk |title=How to fight climate change with parking lots - YouTube |website=[[YouTube]] |date=September 27, 2023 |access-date=2024-01-03 |archive-date=2024-01-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240103071538/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeaQUhAOdtk |url-status=live }}</ref>
== Environmental considerations ==
===Water pollution=== Parking lots tend to be sources of [[water pollution]] because of their extensive [[impervious surfaces]]. Virtually all of the [[rain]] (minus evaporation) that falls becomes [[urban runoff]]. To avoid flooding and unsafe driving conditions, the lots are built to channel and collect runoff.<ref>Schueler, Thomas R. [http://www.cwp.org/Resource_Library/Center_Docs/PWP/ELC_PWP1.pdf "The Importance of Imperviousness".] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090227110104/http://www.cwp.org/Resource_Library/Center_Docs/PWP/ELC_PWP1.pdf |date=2009-02-27 }} Reprinted in [http://www.cwp.org/Store/guidance.htm ''The Practice of Watershed Protection''.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081223004441/http://www.cwp.org/Store/guidance.htm |date=2008-12-23 }} 2000. Center for Watershed Protection. Ellicott City, MD.</ref> Parking lots, along with roads, are often the principal source of water pollution in urban areas.<ref>United States. National Research Council. Washington, DC. [http://www.epa.gov/npdes/pubs/nrc_stormwaterreport.pdf "Urban Stormwater Management in the United States".] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130831094138/http://www.epa.gov/npdes/pubs/nrc_stormwaterreport.pdf |date=2013-08-31 }} October 15, 2008. p.5</ref>
Motor vehicles are a constant source of pollutants, the most significant being [[gasoline]], [[motor oil]], [[polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons]] (PAHs), and [[heavy metals]]. are found in combustion byproducts of gasoline, as well as in asphalt and [[coal tar]]-based [[sealant]]s used to maintain parking lots.) Many parking lots are also significant sources of [[waste|trash]], which ends up in waterways.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://unix.eng.ua.edu/~rpitt/Publications/BooksandReports/Stormwater%20Effects%20Handbook%20by%20%20Burton%20and%20Pitt%20book/MainEDFS_Book.html|title=''Stormwater Effects Handbook: A Toolbox for Watershed Managers, Scientists, and Engineers''|publisher=CRC/Lewis Publishers|year=2001|isbn=0-87371-924-7|location=New York|author=G. Allen Burton Jr. |author2=Robert Pitt |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090519035716/http://unix.eng.ua.edu/~rpitt/Publications/BooksandReports/Stormwater%20Effects%20Handbook%20by%20%20Burton%20and%20Pitt%20book/MainEDFS_Book.html|archive-date=2009-05-19}} Chapter 2.</ref>
'''Treatment of pollution:''' Traditionally, the runoff has been shunted directly into [[storm sewer]]s, [[stream]]s, [[dry well]]s or even [[sanitary sewer]]s. However, most larger municipalities now require the construction of [[stormwater]] management facilities for new lots. Typical facilities include [[retention basin]]s, [[infiltration basin]]s and [[percolation trench]]es.<ref>California Stormwater Quality Association. Menlo Park, CA. [http://www.cabmphandbooks.com "Stormwater Best Management Practice (BMP) Handbooks".] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080118092426/http://www.cabmphandbooks.com/|date=January 18, 2008}} 2003.</ref> Some newer designs include [[bioretention]] systems, which use plants more extensively to absorb and filter pollutants. However, most existing lots have limited or no facilities to control runoff.
'''Alternative paving materials:''' An alternative solution today is to use [[permeable paving]] surfaces, such as [[brick]], [[pervious concrete]], [[stone]], special paving blocks, or [[tire]]-tread woven mats. These materials allow rain to soak into the ground through the spaces inherent in the parking lot surface. The ground then may become contaminated in the surface of the parking lot park, but this tends to stay in a small area of ground, which effectively filters water before it seeps away. This can however create problems if contaminants seep into [[groundwater]], especially where there is groundwater abstraction 'downstream' for [[potable water]] supply.[[File:P3030027ParkingLot wb.jpg|thumb|right|A [[San Jose, California]] parking lot in 2006, with landscaping and a diagonal parking pattern designed for one-way traffic.]]
===Landscaping=== Many areas today also require minimum [[landscaping]] in parking lots. This usually principally means the planting of trees to provide shade. Customers have long preferred shaded parking spaces in the summer, but parking lot providers have long been antagonistic to planting trees because of the extra cost of cleaning the parking lots.{{Citation needed|date=October 2007}}
Paved surfaces contribute to heat islands in two ways. The first is through excessive accumulation of heat. Dark materials and the enclosed canyons created by city buildings trap more of the sun's energy. The reflection rate of paving compared to natural surfaces is important as higher reflectance means cooler temperatures. Black pavements, the hottest, have solar reflectances of 5 to 10 percent. Lighter pavements have solar reflectance rates of 25 percent or higher. Reflectance values for soils and various types of vegetation range from 5 to 45 percent. The second cause of heat islands is the low moisture content of paving and building materials. Such materials are watertight, so no moisture is available to dissipate the sun's heat through evaporation.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.naturewithin.info/Roadside/Trees_Parking_Green%20Law.pdf|title=Trees, Parking and Green Law: Strategies for Sustainability|last=Wolf|first=Kathleen|publisher=USDA Forest Service, Southern Region Georgia Forestry Commission|year=2004|location=Georgia|page=8|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150528235730/http://www.naturewithin.info/Roadside/Trees_Parking_Green%20Law.pdf|archive-date=2015-05-28}}</ref>
Tree planting has been shown to significantly reduce temperatures in open, paved areas. In one study in [[Alabama]], daytime summer temperatures of {{Convert|120|F}} were recorded in the centre of a bare parking lot, whereas where a small island of trees was present, temperatures only reached {{Convert|89|F}}. It also found that a further 1 °F temperature reduction could be obtained for every additional canopy tree planted.<ref name="Resource Guide">{{Cite web|url=https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyPDF.cgi/P100D97A.PDF?Dockey=P100D97A.PDF|title=Green Parking Lot Resource Guide|date=February 2008|website=National Service Center for Environmental Publications|publisher=EPA|page=40|access-date=October 5, 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171005202248/https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyPDF.cgi/P100D97A.PDF?Dockey=P100D97A.PDF|archive-date=October 5, 2017}}</ref>
More recently, parking lots have been seen as prime real estate for installing large solar panel installations, with the additional benefit of shade for vehicles parked underneath.
===Land usage=== [[File:Stonypointcarpark.jpg|thumb|Car park at train station]] A parking lot needs fairly large space, around {{convert|25|m2|sqft|abbr=off|sp=us|disp=or}} per parking spot. This means that lots usually need more land area than for corresponding buildings for offices or shops if most employees and visitors arrive by car. This means covering large areas with asphalt.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Milman |first=Oliver |date=2022-12-26 |title=Shifting gears: why US cities are falling out of love with the parking lot |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/dec/26/us-cities-parking-lots-climate-walkability |access-date=2022-12-26 |work=The Guardian |language=en}}</ref>
===Services=== Some lots have [[charging station]]s for [[Battery electric vehicle|battery vehicles]]. Some regions with especially cold winters provide electricity at most parking spots for engine [[block heater]]s, as [[antifreeze]] may be inadequate to prevent freezing.
=== Impact on climate === Parking lots are responsible for many [[greenhouse gas emissions]] because they increase driving and contributing to the [[urban heat island]] due to the materials they are built from.<ref name=institute>{{cite web |title=To Tackle Climate Change, Cities Need to Rethink Parking |url=https://www.itdp.org/2022/09/20/to-tackle-climate-change-cities-need-to-rethink-parking/ |website=Institute for transportation & development policy |date=September 20, 2022 |access-date=7 November 2023}}</ref>
== Notable lots == * [[Exhumation and reburial of Richard III of England|The remains of Richard III]] were found under a parking lot in [[Leicester|Leicester, England]]. * A species of tardigrade, [[Macrobiotus shonaicus]], was discovered in a parking lot in [[Tsuruoka|Tsuruoka, Japan]]. * The [[West Edmonton Mall]] has the world's largest parking lot.<ref name="parkinglots">{{cite news| last1=Westly| first1=Erica| title=The World's Largest Parking Lots| url=https://www.forbes.com/2008/04/10/parking-automobiles-retail-biz-logistics-cx_ew_0410parking.html| access-date=25 April 2016| magazine=[[Forbes]]| date=10 November 2008}}</ref><ref name="largest">{{cite web| title=Largest car park| url=http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/largest-car-park| website=Guinness World Records| access-date=28 April 2016}}</ref> * 250 Water Street, a parking lot in New York City protected as a historical landmark since 1977.<ref name=SohnNYT>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/06/nyregion/south-street-seaport-parking-lot-development.html|title=How a $180 Million Parking Lot Could Change N.Y.C.'s Historic Character|work=New York Times |date=May 6, 2021 }}</ref>
== See also == {{Commons category|Car_parks}} {{div col|colwidth=23em}} * [[Airport parking]] * [[Automated parking system]] * [[Automatic number-plate recognition]] (ANPR) * [[Automatic vehicle location]] * [[British Parking Association]] * [[Charging station]] * [[Green parking lot]] * [[Indoor positioning system]] (IPS) * [[Multi-storey car park]] * [[Park and ride]] * [[The Parking Lot Movie]] * [[Parking meter]] * [[Parking space]] * [[Permeable paving]] * [[Radio-frequency identification]] (RFID) * [[Road surface marking]] * [[Vehicle location data]] {{div col end}}
==References== {{reflist|30em}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parking Lot}} [[Category:Parking facilities|Lot]]