Project Overview

Parking is an essential component of the transportation system and significantly influences the quality of everyday life. Parking decisions and policies affect the cost of goods and services, housing affordability, transportation choices, stormwater management, and air quality.

Region 1 Planning Council recognizes the widespread impacts of parking decisions and is currently developing a plan to reimagine parking throughout the Rockford Region. The goals of this plan are to:

  1. Identify current and future trends affecting parking and mobility,
  2. Develop strategies for more effective utilization of parking resources,
  3. Promote sustainable and equitable approaches to parking and mobility,
  4. Enhance transportation mode choice, and
  5. Improve the safety and efficiency of the transportation system.

At the end of this planning process, the Rockford Region will have a Parking Reimagined Plan that demonstrates how parking in the Rockford Region can be transformed over the next 10 years. The plan aims to balance parking needs with community priorities such as equity, affordability, environmental stewardship, community design, and economic growth.

Image of parking lots in Rockford

History of Parking

Historical Parking Practices

As societal needs for automobiles have changed, so has parking in the United States. In the early 1900s, the curb was the only place allocated for parking in American cities, as the modern parking lot did not yet exist. Personal automobile ownership rates surged in the 1920s, leading to an increase in the number of automobiles on urban roadways. Private and public parking facilities were created to reduce vehicle congestion and alleviate safety concerns caused by the increase in automobiles.

As the 20th century progressed, the development of parking facilities allowed the personal automobile to emerge as the dominant mode of transportation in the U.S. Beginning in the 1940s, municipal zoning codes mandated minimum designated parking space requirements for each developed lot to ensure anyone traveling by automobile would have a place to park at their destination. Parking requirements alongside the increased distance of travel allowed by automobiles, prompted the expansion of American cities into undeveloped areas outside of their original urban cores. Historical parking patterns have significantly shaped the development of the cities we live in today.

Today's urban planners strive to find a balance between too much and too little parking to ensure city development supports economic, environmental, and social well-being.

How has parking transformed in the Rockford Region?

Use the slider on the image below to see how development in downtown Rockford has shifted from 1939 to 2021.

Rockford 1939 Rockford 2021

Let's reimagine parking together!

Cities across the United States are embracing new ways to improve their parking infrastructure. Current parking lots typically only serve one purpose and take up valuable urban land, but there are many ways parking lots can be transformed to improve quality of life! Explore some ways parking in downtown Rockford could be transformed by clicking the icons on the image below.

Goals & Strategies

The goals and strategies for the Parking Reimagined Plan, included in Part 7 of the plan, were developed using national and local trends, regional data, and public input. The goals are organized in order of priority, as determined by the public.

Goal 1: Improve transportation infrastructure, access, and connectivity throughout the region to decrease vehicle congestion and demand for parking.

  • Strategy 1.1: Address sidewalk, shared-use path, and bicycle network gaps that impact connectivity.
  • Strategy 1.2: Incorporate bicycle parking into public parking facilities.
  • Strategy 1.3: Examine the feasibility of procuring a regional car-sharing service.
  • Strategy 1.4: Increase the frequency and range of shuttle services to designated park-and-ride lots during highly attended events and busy downtown hours.
  • Strategy 1.5: Pilot a regional mobility hubs program.
  • Strategy 1.6: Conduct a public education campaign to improve the perception of public transit and active forms of transportation.

Goal 2: Improve quality of life by fostering active, engaging, and safe public parking facilities that encourage people to connect with their surroundings.

  • Strategy 2.1: Improve and increase parking facility lighting, signage, and security measures.
  • Strategy 2.2: Increase pedestrian access into and out of parking facilities with pedestrian-friendly infrastructure.
  • Strategy 2.3: Increase beautification of parking facilities through art installations.
  • Strategy 2.4: Increase wayfinding signage to aid navigation to parking facilities and nearby destinations.

Goal 3: Encourage multifunctional uses of parking facilities and repurpose underutilized parking into spaces to better serve the community.

  • Strategy 3.1: Encourage temporary conversions and multiple uses of parking facilities.
  • Strategy 3.2: Support infill developments within identified vacant and underutilized parking lots.
  • Strategy 3.3: Repurpose underutilized parking spaces into functional greenspaces such as urban meadows, community parks, stormwater retention basins, or rain gardens.
  • Strategy 3.4: Expand the availability and prioritize accessibility of electric vehicle charging stations and designated electric vehicle parking spaces in parking facilities.

Goal 4: Reduce the environmental impact of parking facilities to support local ecosystems and mitigate the effects of climate change.

  • Strategy 4.1: Increase the use of stormwater best management practices in parking facilities.
  • Strategy 4.2: Implement cool and permeable pavements into current and future parking facilities.
  • Strategy 4.3: Assess the feasibility of installing solar canopies within public parking lots.
  • Strategy 4.4: Adopt or update landscaping guidelines and regulations to require a minimum amount of maintained native vegetation and shade trees to be incorporated into parking design.

Goal 4: Reduce the environmental impact of parking facilities to support local ecosystems and mitigate the effects of climate change.

  • Strategy 4.1: Increase the use of stormwater best management practices in parking facilities.
  • Strategy 4.2: Implement cool and permeable pavements into current and future parking facilities.
  • Strategy 4.3: Assess the feasibility of installing solar canopies within public parking lots.
  • Strategy 4.4: Adopt or update landscaping guidelines and regulations to require a minimum amount of maintained native vegetation and shade trees to be incorporated into parking design.