The world is becoming more motorized and this goes hand in hand with a tremendous change in the parking sector. Over the past years the number of cars sold worldwide have been increasing and has resulted into a greater demand for parking. A lot of people still prefer to travel by car instead of traveling by public transport (e.g. bus or train), and therefore, need to park their car at a certain location e.g. at home, at work, and at shopping and recreation area. However, when the increase in the demand for parking cannot be offset by the parking supply then it can have a negative impact on the environment and the accessibility of an area. For example, inner city areas (e.g., Amsterdam, Rotterdam) are becoming less attractive due to the increasing amount of pressure on parking accompanied by nuisance. The development of car parks (e.g. stimulate offstreet parking) and the implementation of parking measures (e.g. paid parking) are appropriate instruments in dealing with peak demands on the scarcer space for parking and urban traffic problems.

Soufyan Agarad - Junior adviseur Vastgoedmanagement BOA-advies / ICSadviseurs, Amsterdam Area, Netherlands.