Abstract:
In recent years, shopping centres and ribbon like retail
developments in Dhaka city have boomed almost continuously beside
all the roads of the city in a most unplanned qnd indiscrete way.
This unrestricted changing land use mostly precipitated by rapid
growth of population along with rising share of private vehicles
have resulted in growing demand for parking spaces and run
into severe multidimensional transportation and land use
interaction problems.
The present study has made an empirical approach to perceive
parking" demand and supply situation of 10 important shopping
centres in Dhaka city, through analyzing some quantitative factors
affecting the parking demand. The findings suggest that there
exists a mathematical model providing linear, positive and most
significant relationship between the parking demand and gross
floor area of the shopping centres. Gross floor area was
identified as the single direct influencing variable and the
apparent significant finding of the study implies that there is a
demand to provide 1 parking place for every 2387 sft. of gross
floor area for the shopping centres in general. This finding
provides a basis for design consideration if the present pattern
of vehicle ownership and other circumstances prevail in the near
future.
-IVUsing
this design criteria a verification study was conducted to
test the validity of the evaluated regression model and existing
parking facilities of 12 shopping centres were compared with the
result. The verification has indicated that there is a shortage of
proper parking facilities in at least 67 percent of the shopping
centres.
The study therefore recommends that an effective design method
towards providing adequate parking space is an essential
consideration for the construction of shopping centres in Dhaka
city. Finally the study concludes that an integrated programme to
develop comprehensive parking standards should incorporate the
inter-relations of tactical decisions on parking control and
strategic land use and the overall transportation policies.
