WANT TO HELP COLLECT DATA FOR THE PARKING INVENTORY?

The most reliable way to assess our parking supply and demand is for us to go out and count the availability of spaces throughout the day. That's why we are collecting data on August 23th, 25th, and 26th.

Want to help survey with us? Sign up to do a data collection shift
with us by clicking here.

Detail on the Lincoln Square Parking Pulse Study

Commissioned by Lincoln Square Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce and the Lincoln Square Neighborhood Improvement Program (Special Service Area #21).

Why are we conducting a parking study?

The Lincoln Square Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce (LSRCC) has initiated a parking study in collaboration with Big Buzz Idea Group (BBIG) to evaluate the parking needs of our neighborhood. One of the proposed recommendations from Lincoln Square’s 2019 Master Plan, commissioned by SSA #21 (the Lincoln Square Neighborhood Improvement Program), is expanded transit-oriented development (TOD) within the neighborhood. 

To ensure future developments complement and enhance the future neighborhood, it’s necessary to ensure our parking supply realistically matches parking demand. This parking study, funded by LSRCC and Special Service Area #21, will reveal how well the current parking supply matches the demand of our residents, employees, and visitors to maintain our beloved community and its vibrant commercial corridors.

Study Area
To evaluate the current state of parking in our neighborhood, we defined our study area to contain the key commercial corridors and residential side streets as shown below.

Parking Inventory
We are currently conducting  an inventory of current parking including on-street parking as well as the three public surface lots within the study area. As street parking spaces are not delineated into standardized spaces, we estimated the average vehicle length and average space left between vehicles to determine the available parking spaces in unrestricted parking zones.

Parking Turnover
The second step of data collection will determine the average length of time parking spaces are used for and the overall occupancy rate. This step will occur twice this year: once in the summer and again during the holiday season. Data will be collected on  Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays to gauge parking needs during varying levels of neighborhood activity.

Community Surveys
The parking metrics will be supplemented with a qualitative survey for residents and shoppers to explain how they use parking in the neighborhood. Business owners will help collect information on their customer base to determine our neighborhood’s draw from around the region.

Issue Reports
Ultimately, the collected data will be compiled into a summer data snapshot report after the first round of data collection and a final report at the end of the study to issue our conclusions. Both will be made available on this site.

How will the study benefit the Lincoln Square/Ravenswood Community?

• Inform policymakers on parking demand
• Provide residents and shoppers an opportunity to express their feelings related to parking
• Provide basis for  improved wayfinding and other parking management strategies
• Encourage innovation as the LSRCC is a pioneer in parking studies at the neighborhood level in Chicago