Auto Parkit: A Parking Revolution Comes to Urban America

Christopher Alan, founder of Auto Parkit, the only automated parking company in the US competitive with traditional parking, spoke with The Planning Report about how his experience as a real estate developer in LA led to a parking opportunity.

1 minute read

June 6, 2013, 11:00 AM PDT

By Kevin Madden


Though automated parking structures are not exactly new, San Fernando Valley residential development The Savannahs is the first in Southern California to boast such a facility. The project was the brainchild of LA real estate developer Christopher Alan, who partnered his firm, Dasher Lawless, where he is president, with Omron Automation & Safety, Design Systems Inc., SEW Eurodrive, ConXtech, and others, to create Auto Parkit, the only automated parking company in the nation competitive with traditional parking.

Alan details how his scalable, operator-free, fully-automated, high-density parking system and its potential to reduce emissions and increase safety have drawn interest already. Unlike most automated parking companies, which tend to focus on engineering innovations, Auto Parkit has placed an emphasis on reliability and lifespan. While it may be feasible to replace a cell phone each time a new product is released, automated parking requires fixed costs and investment. In this way, a developer will only be willing to invest if he knows the product is reliable and hassle free.  

Wednesday, June 5, 2013 in The Planning Report

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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.

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