For they account it a very just cause of war, for a nation to hinder others from possessing a part of that soil, of which they make no use, but which is suffered to lie idle and uncultivated; since every man has by law of nature a right to such a waste portion of the earth as is necessary for his subsistence. - From Sir Thomas More's _Utopia_
WAYFINDING
In the 1960s, the city of Champaign, IL began a multi-million dollar downtown
parking improvement project that ended up creating the landscape downtown visitors
see today. The history of municipal lots extends almost to the beginning of
parking itself, as many cities struggled to maintain business districts during
the Great Depression, and later during the migration of capital to growing
suburbs.
By the 1940s (when 1 of 5 cities with a population of over 10,000 operated
downtown parking facilities), the need to regulate parking became apparent,
and cities like Philadelphia would develop ordinances that would govern design
and maintenance of lots.
Champaign, in its attempt to save its urban core, initiated a metered parking
program in 1947, not coincidentally, the same year that suburban malls were
opening outside of town. The resulting diminished occupancy of downtown buildings,
due to relocated businesses, provided available real estate that would eventually
become parking lots.
The economic streamlining and social engineering of the post-war period was also put to use in the development of urban parking mechanisms. In nearby Chicago, experiments in lot location were carried out with the construction of "fringe lots," revealing that psychological proximity was often more important than physical proximity when it came to drivers' choices for parking. Lots that had a good view of the destination, in this case downtown Chicago, were regularly chosen over lots that were closer, yet lacked a view. Such psychological aspects of parking have continued to play a role in how lots are designed and maintained - such as lots being designed for 85% capacity, never empty, never full. Just right.
This tour focuses on surface, or open-air, lots - the parking facility of choice for 80% of all parkers. These parking lots may not look very different from one decade to the next, but they have undergone regular changes that reflect larger social phenomena. An average parking space in the 1950s was 7 feet wide, but grew to be up to 10 feet during the height of car sizes in the 1960s. We are now at an average space width of between 8 and 9 feet, with lot costs averaging 5-10 dollars/square feet.
Of course, the public operation of parking lots did not go uncontested by those who believed they could profit from privately run ventures. In 1951, at a convention in Chicago, the National Parking Association would form to represent the interests of privatisation in the growing parking industry.
As in Los Angeles and other urban centers, private and state interests converged in Champaign. The municipal parking program begun in the 1960s operated economically through the Champaign Development Corporation, a group of businessmen and bankers who purchased property to sell back to the city to develop parking facilities. There are currently both metered and permit lots operated by the city, and drivers can park for $0.25/hour or $120/3 months. Most of these lots are free during off hours and Sundays.
Currently, downtown Champaign is going through redevelopment efforts, again a condition occurring across the US. Champaign's Redevelopment Incentive Program - ironically R.I.P. - gives grants to entrepreneurs and developers to renovate existing buildings, and is often paired with a redevelop liquor license. There are currently more bars in downtown Champaign than in neighboring Campus Town (the retail district attached to the University of Illinois) and Urbana.