By Brooke Krieger, MPA:
The parking industry is still optimizing for a problem the curb has already outgrown.
For years, we’ve focused on curb management, organizing space, setting time limits, and enforcing payment. That approach made sense when the curb was primarily used for parking. That is no longer the case.
Today, the curb supports a growing mix of uses. Pickup and dropoff, delivery, micromobility, transit connections, robotics, and autonomous vehicles already operating in cities today. Each depends on access to the same limited space, often at the same time. This is not a management problem. It is an access problem.
Parking Is No Longer the Center of the System
Parking used to define how the curb functioned. Vehicles occupied space for a period of time, and systems were built to manage that duration. Now, most curb activity is short-term and constantly shifting. Vehicles arrive, interact, and leave in minutes. The curb is no longer where vehicles sit. It is where everything moves.
More Data Hasn’t Solved the Problem
Cities have more data than ever before. Real-time availability, sensors, enforcement activity, and transaction data all provide a detailed understanding of how curb space is used. But data alone does not solve for access. The challenge is not visibility. It is decision-making.
The cities making progress are focusing on specific outcomes. Improving turnover. Shifting demand. Testing new approaches to curb allocation. In Miami, smart loading zones are designed for quick turnover, with short grace periods to keep activity moving. But even with designated space, delivery drivers still double park when demand exceeds supply. The issue is not a lack of rules. It is a mismatch between demand and access.
Autonomous Vehicles Will Increase Pressure at the Curb
There is a common belief that autonomous vehicles will reduce the need for parking and ease congestion. What is often overlooked is what replaces that demand. Autonomous systems introduce more pickup and dropoff activity, increased circulation, and new forms of staging and coordination. Combined with continued growth in delivery, this intensifies competition at the curb.
Companies like Waymo are already operating in cities like San Francisco, Austin, and Miami, moving real passengers in real environments. This is not a future scenario. It is a live one.
As explored in Parking the Future: How Autonomous Vehicles Will Transform Urban Mobility, “The curb isn’t disappearing in an autonomous world. It’s becoming the most contested and valuable real estate in the city.” That shift is already underway.
The Shift from Parking to Access
The most important transition happening in the industry is conceptual. Parking is about occupying space. Access is about using it. This includes short-term loading, passenger movement, delivery, and autonomous coordination. These interactions are dynamic and vary throughout the day.
Managing access requires allocating space based on use, pricing based on demand, and enforcing eligibility and duration. We are already seeing the early stages of this shift in enforcement. As systems become more automated, the question is no longer just whether someone paid. It becomes whether they should have been there in the first place. That is a fundamentally different model.
The Real Barrier Is Organizational
Technology is not the limiting factor. The primary constraint is how cities are structured to manage the curb. Responsibility is often fragmented across departments, with no clear ownership. At the same time, new mobility solutions do not fit neatly within existing regulatory frameworks. This creates friction in permitting, enforcement, and implementation, even when solutions are available.
Why This Matters Now
The shift from parking to access is already happening. Cities are seeing increased demand, more complex use cases, and higher expectations for efficiency. The systems in place today were not designed for this level of coordination. Continuing to treat the curb as a parking problem limits the ability to respond effectively.
Designing for What Comes Next
The shift is already underway. The question is whether cities will design for it intentionally or react to it later. The curb is no longer a secondary piece of infrastructure. It is central to how people, goods, and services move through a city. Reframing it as an access problem is the first step toward managing it effectively.
Brooke Krieger, MPA, is the Director of Strategic Partnerships for Passport Labs, Inc. Brooke can be reached at brooke.krieger@arrive.com.
Forum Question: What does efficient movement through a city look like in the future?