Winning Downtowns Stack Their Decks

The 540-space Larry C. Hardy Parking Deck in Traverse City, Michigan represents a new value — handsome architectural design — added to the lengthy list of utilitarian considerations, like size, lighting, ease of access, safety, durability, efficiency and cost, which have long guided parking deck construction in America. So many cities, universities, hospitals, airports, train stations, corporate parks and housing developments are building upscale parking decks that they now represent a mainstream movement in civic design.