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Planning for e-commerce

E-commerce (short for electronic commerce) describes the buying or selling of products and associated services over the internet or through mobile applications. The most visible vendors are Amazon, Walmart and Wayfair furniture, however, there are millions of smaller entities thanks to the ease of online marketplace platforms. Offerings include durable goods (such as furniture), small goods, groceries and prepared food deliveries. The growth in e-commerce is now reshaping cities, suburbs and outlying industrial districts, as well as traffic patterns for moving goods from ports to warehouses to a shopper's doorstep.

ITE Curbside Management Practitioners Guide

This 2018 Guide (50 pages) from the Institute for Transportation Engineers (ITE) provides an overview of planning consideration for curbside management. Curb space is where movement meets access, however, is not always optimized for its highest and best use. Traditional uses, such as on-street parking and loading, are experiencing increased competition for space from technology-enabled uses such as Transportation Network Companies such as Uber and Lyft, as well as increased deliveries with e-commerce.

Right Size Parking

Cities and real estate developers are rethinking the amount of parking supplied for buildings, campuses and districts as new methodologies and technologies allow managers to better match supply and demand. According to numerous reports, most zoning codes require parking oversupply, occupying land better used for more productive use.

Bicycle Transit Stations

Bicycle Transit Stations provide amenities or bicyclists at transit stations. Amenities include high capacity, secure bicycle parking, repairs and retail for bike-related services and products. In some cases, facilities include lockers, changing rooms and showers. Also referred to as Bicycle Hubs.

Los Angeles Transportation Technology Strategy

The city of Los Angeles California released its first Transportation Technology strategies in September 2016 to weave emerging policy and technology innovation (apps, software, shared use, vehicles, signage, payment ) into local /regional formal transportation plans.

Bicycle Valet Parking

Like valets for car parking, valet services allow bicyclists to check a bicycle into a parking facility. Bike parking facilities can be fixed or established for events such as sporting events or fairs.

Parking Surveys

Parking surveys determine how much parking exists (both public & private) and how spaces are used at various times of the day. This can help (1) identify underutilized parking, (2) high demand areas, (3) opportunities for shared parking, 4) future parking needs, and (5) better outreach materials for parking.

Parking Benefit Districts

Parking Benefit Districts (PBDs) coordinate public and private parking within a defined district to manage the availability, pricing & location of parking. Meter revenues are then reinvested into improvement within that district.

Shared Mobility

Shared mobility offers mobility options (cars, bicycles, rideshare), typically guided by smart phone-enabled reservation systems, as an alternative or complement to individual vehicle,ownership.

Infill Design Guidelines

Infill guidelines & toolkits provide ideas, examples and pattern books to influence quality design for infill projects.

Parking Enforcement

Parking enforcement and education can help manage the on-street supply and free spaces for short-term parkers. These programs are most effective when targeted to areas with high incidences of observed parking infractions and where short-term parking is favored, like in commercial centers and downtowns.

Parking Pricing

Parking Pricing charges drivers for using parking facilities. Pricing may be implemented as a Transportation Demand Management strategy (to reduce vehicle traffic), as a Parking Management strategy (to reduce parking problems), to recover parking facility costs, or to generate revenue for other purposes (such as a parking or business improvement district).

Performance Metrics for Streets

Cities are dropping older street design & network models based solely on moving automobiles in favor of emerging new metrics for streets that serve mulitple uses and users.

Pervious Pavers

Pervious pavers provide infiltrative surfaces in urban landscpaes for sidewalks, walkways, parking and streets. Installation and subsurface preparation are designed for maximum performance and maintenance. Pervious pavers provide infiltrative surfaces in urban landscpaes for sidewalks, walkways, parking and streets. Installation and subsurface preparation are designed for maximum performance and maintenance.

Bioswales

Bioswales are stormwater runoff conveyance systems that can absorb low flows or heavy rains to improve water quality by filtering storm water. The thicker and heavier the grasses, the better the swale can filter out contaminants. Bioswales are stormwater runoff conveyance systems that can absorb low flows or heavy rains to improve water quality by filtering storm water.