Fast Co.Exist presents the work of the Long Island Index, which recently undertook a creative problem solving exercise to explore ways that suburban parking lots could encourage more walkable conditions.
Adele Peters shares the results of a recent exploration of the future of suburban parking lots by Long Island Index. The nonprofit asked four firms to produce designs across the spectrum of pragmatic to visionary. The idea isn’t to eliminate parking, but rather to start a conversation about how downtowns can become more walkable.
“One challenge in doing so was the fact that residents on Long Island--where the first suburb in the country was born--weren’t ready to give up parking spaces. And they didn’t like the idea of parking garages,” writes Peters.
The results imagine new parking lots for places like Ronkonkoma and Rockville Center. For the former, Roger Sherman Architecture + Urban Design “proposed a pair of huge, bubble-wrapped open spaces that are half garage, half playground” for a site next to a commuter rail station.
FULL STORY: 4 Designs To Cleverly Reinvent The Suburban Parking Lot

What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities
How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.

‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge
Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.

The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan
Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.

Healing Through Parks: Altadena’s Path to Recovery After the Eaton Fire
In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena is uniting to restore Loma Alta Park, creating a renewed space for recreation, community gathering, and resilience.

San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule
The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.

Electric Vehicles for All? Study Finds Disparities in Access and Incentives
A new UCLA study finds that while California has made progress in electric vehicle adoption, disadvantaged communities remain underserved in EV incentives, ownership, and charging access, requiring targeted policy changes to advance equity.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research