Energy Efficiency and Environmental Quality

Promote energy efficiency and a high level of environmental quality at parking lots and structures.
 

Provision energy efficient parking facilities that encourage greater public transit use, reduce heat island effect, and lower cooling costs for structures.

Design Guidelines
Policy & Implementation
The Role of Local Government & Transit First Policies
Guiding Principles of Land Use
Flexible Zoning Strategies
Street Design Implementation
Revising Transportation Analysis Practices
Transportation Demand Management
Rethinking Vehicle Parking Requirements
Parking Management
Best Practices to Attract Successful Developers
Clarifying Design Expectations
Integrating Retail into Transit Oriented Development
Community Planning for Rail Transit
Additional Resources
Body
A photo of a surface level parking lot with solar panels shading
BART Parking Lot with Solar Panels (Source: Flickr: Jim Maurer)

A photo of a vegetated swale next to a parking lot.
Vegetated Swale (Source: UC Santa Barbara)

Provision high environmental quality parking facilities that improve water quality by filtering and cooling though stormwater best management practices, including vegetated swales and rain gardens.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Balance parking design and capacity between functionality and environmental quality by minimizing impacts to mature vegetation or soil stability.

An illustration of a vegetated swale between parking rows.
Vegetated Swale

A photo of one of VTA's Park and Ride lots.
Park and Ride

Develop park-and-ride facilities where applicable to mitigate traffic congestion and its environmentally negative effects.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Integrate technology to maximize parking capacity and vehicle flow while minimizing circling or idling.

A photo of a parking structure with sensors in the center of the rows. When the light is green, the parking spot is available.
Sensors Use Green Lights to Show Available Parking Spaces