Using GIS to analyse parking attributes in urban areas

Maria Giannopoulou; Athanasios P. Vavatsikos; Konstantinos Lykostratis; Anastasia Roukouni

Maria Giannopoulou Production and Management Engineering Department, Democritus University of Thrace, Greece
Athanasios P. Vavatsikos Production and Management Engineering Department, Democritus University of Thrace, Greece
Konstantinos Lykostratis Civil Engineering Department, Democritus University of Thrace, Greece
Anastasia Roukouni Rural and Surveying Engineering Department, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece

Abstract

Recently, parking problems have been getting worse and are now also affecting residential areas, in addition to commercial and business areas. The term ‘parking problem' does not only refer to the search of free parking spaces anymore; it requires careful and in depth analysis of the various factors that influence parking demand. Geographical Information Systems (GIS) can be used as a reliable and efficient tool to record the aforementioned factors. This paper addresses the identification of supply and parking demand of an area where the urban environment has changed, in Xanthi, a city of about 55,000 inhabitants situated in northern Greece, using GIS technology. The proposed methodology can contribute to the selection of suitable parking policies, according to specific characteristics of blocks, buildings, land use and attributes of the road network. It suggests a useful and comprehensive approach for decision makers who struggle to find parking solutions for the city of the 21st century, towards the principles of sustainable and smart growth.