Parking demand analysis of shopping centres in Dhaka city

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.