WORLD PARKING SYMPOSIUM VIII

Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada
June 2011
Post Conference Update

The World Parking Symposium VIII, organized by the Canadian Parking Foundation, was held at Niagara College, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada, from Sunday June 26 to Wednesday June 29, 2011. Topics covering a wide spectrum of parking and transportation issues were presented.

L to R: Shawn Conrad, International Parking Institute, U.S.A.; Nadav Levy, Tel Aviv University, Israel (site of 2013 WPS); Carina Abrahamsson and Gustaf Grapengiesser, Traffic & Public Transport Authority, Sweden; Cristina Lynn, Parking & Traffic Consultants, Australia; Maurice Anderson, World Parking Symposium, Canada; Sjoerd Stienstra, Stienstra Adviesbureau stedelijk verkeer, The Netherlands.

Our keynote speaker, David K. Foot, Professor Emeritus of Economics, began the conference on Sunday evening by outlining interrelationships between economics and demographics, and their implications for both private and public policies. On Monday morning the Symposium went into high gear with presentations regarding the Importance and Relevance of the Parking Industry and the Effects of Parking Facilities on Urban Structures. Parking Service Delivery – Public vs. Private, a topic much talked about in Canada and the United States, was up next, outlining both the pros and cons of the different delivery types and the outcome in cities that have implemented or studied the change. Unlocking Real Estate Values through Redevelopment and From Demand to Development: Public-Private Parking Projects that Work gave those in attendance examples of successful projects that brought the private and public sectors together.

In the afternoon George Hazel gave his views on the Future of Mobility and Donald Shoup gave a Progress Report on Urban Parking Reforms. How Australian Cities Manage Parking, followed by a panel discussion with delegates featuring all of the speakers of the day, capped off a long but informative day.

On Tuesday various other topics such as Smart Growth and Successful TODs, Transit Vision 2040, Using Simulation in Parking Policy-making, Parking Framework in Perth Australia, and Funding TDM Migration were delivered before lunch. Others such as Europe’s Parking U-Turn, Assessing Urban Parking Demand, and Cloud computing, followed in the afternoon. These were two busy days, not to mention that the delegates, working in teams, gave presentations on the third morning to the International Parking Institute representatives present. They are studying the topic entitled “Why Parking Matters”, looking for the connection between parking, transportation and urban growth.

All was not work. Tuesday evening ended the day with a dinner in the vineyard of Chateau des Charmes.

It was announced that the next conference, WPS IX, will be held in Tel Aviv, Israel in late June 2013. The Israelis are looking forward to hosting this event and are diligently working to make it a success. For those who wish to take advantage of this conference by extending their stay, we will be arranging special tours and trips of interest after the conference.

See “Location & Directions” for further information on Tel Aviv, the University, travel information, and more.