The End Of Parking Lots As We Know Them: Designing For A Driverless Future

Future commercial developments will include dedicated drop-off and pick-up zones for autonomous ride vehicles rather than on-site parking, according to design firm Gensler. A world in which robotic ride and delivery services are commonplace is years away, but what to do if you've got big-ticket commercial real estate projects in the works now? Turns out that future is already being baked in, according to the largest U.S. architecture firm. The full impact of self-driving vehicle technology will unfold over years, but Andy Cohen, the Los Angeles-based co-CEO for design firm Gensler, is convinced it will bring the end of parking structures as we know them, require more expansive building drop-off and pickup zones and more elaborate entry lobbies. Over time it opens up opportunities to reclaim curb space dedicated to metered parking and redevelop land in prime urban spots currently taken up by gas stations.