Car Size Matters

Posted on July 01, 2010 by Milhaus Development

mixed-use-smart-car-300x225The ultimate urban infill and mixed use dilemma: even if a site has access to transit or is located within walking distance of jobs and services, buyers and renters still bring a car or two with them to their new home. The amount of parking that can fit on an individual site limits the design and feasibility of nearly every project. So, we are exploring some new ideas. Here are a few dimensions to consider:

  • Smart Car - 5.1’ wide - 8.8’ long
  • Mini Cooper - 5.5’ wide - 12.1’ long
  • Honda Accord - 6’ wide - 16’ long
  • Chevy Tahoe - 6.5’ wide - 16.8’ long

Most parking spaces are 10’ x 20’ and can fit two Smart Cars very easily, leaving almost 5’ of space remaining along the edges. Now this really only works for the spaces on the edge of an aisle when the driver can get perpendicular access to the space. However, if you could start designing parking lots and garages for smaller cars and arranging spaces differently; then you could really pick up some efficiency. You can actually fit 3 cars in that same 10’ x 20’ space.

Every space saved is significant. An affordable above ground parking garage costs between $13,000 and $20,000 per space, and an underground space costs between $22,000 and $35,000 per space. If you can double or triple the amount of parking in that same structure, then you could dramatically increase the number of units, or maybe you just make a project feasible, or maybe you could do away with the sea of parking around the mall. The possibilities are endless. You could also reduce the size of drive lanes and entrances, thus further reducing costs. We think its time to start thinking about designing places for the way that people really want to access them. We need to provide a many options. That includes walking, biking, transit, normal size cars, and now smaller cars.

This entry was posted in Our Philosophy and tagged mixed use, design, parking garage, parking lot, smart cars

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