'The first and last experience almost everyone has at a real estate development is the disposal, then the retrieval upon departure, of their vehicle. Over 90% of the people that occupy the “people box” in most real estate developments arrive by personal transportation vehicles. Parking designers are full of opinions as to what is best and what is merely acceptable when it comes to this disposal and retrieval process. I’d like to share my perspective, which is based on my operational and design experience over the past 50 years.

Functional Design of the “Car Box”

A “car box” is a three-dimensional box into which car spaces are fit and are most often called parking garages, parking decks, parking facilities, and parking ramps. A “people box,” also known as a “parking generator,” can be further described as an office building, sports venue, shopping center, airport, hotel, or medical center. The length, width and height of the parking box helps determine its efficiency and the potential number of cars that may be parked inside the box. The dimensions also influence customer acceptance and project cost...'