Smart Parking

A comparison of Brainerd, Minnesota's downtown parking and that of the planned town of Celebration, Florida shows what a big difference a parking plan can make.

1 minute read

April 16, 2010, 10:00 AM PDT

By Tim Halbur


Charles Mahrown writes, "...unlike nearly every other small town, Celebration is both high density (by small town standards) and desirable to live in. So Celebration makes efficient use of their infrastructure and uses the urban form of the community to increase property values within. For small towns that are devolving under auto-oriented zoning codes while also financially struggling to maintain their underutilized infrastructure, Celebration presents a radical alternative.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the location of parking."

Pictures at Strong Towns Blog tell the story better than words.

Thursday, April 15, 2010 in Strong Towns Blog

Young Professional

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

October 28, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

A pencil rendering of Foundry Park, which shows skyscrapers and public green spaces.

Chicago breaks ground on $3 billion megadevelopment

The new neighborhood, titled Foundry Park, will one day host 3,700 residences.

October 23, 2026 - Chicago Sun Times

A yellow, two-story building named Ferns with two American flags.

This MA town is drowning in its own sewage — and residents like it that way

Susan Murcott, a waste water expert, said if Carlisle didn't address their leaking sewage, the problem could turn “deadly.”

October 22, 2026 - Boston Globe

A rendering of the proposed facility. Trees are made slightly translucent so a large, rectangular cement building can be seen

Feds to more closely scrutinize proposed Amtrak facility’s environmental impact

The Federal Railroad Administration had initially said the facility qualified for a less extensive environmental review.

5 hours ago - Block Club Chicago

A crowd of people walking down a street in Boston

Boston is hard to build housing in: its chief of planning wants to keep it that way

Chief of Planning Kairos Shen said she would not make changes to Boston’s affordability requirements for new housing, which critics say have slowed down development.

6 hours ago - Boston Herald

A car drives through a puddle, making a large splash. Rain pours down.

California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour

If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.

7 hours ago - Grist

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.