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Suggested Citation:"Chapter 1 - Overview of the Guidebook." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2021. Rethinking Airport Parking Facilities to Protect and Enhance Non-Aeronautical Revenues. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26091.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter 1 - Overview of the Guidebook." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2021. Rethinking Airport Parking Facilities to Protect and Enhance Non-Aeronautical Revenues. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26091.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter 1 - Overview of the Guidebook." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2021. Rethinking Airport Parking Facilities to Protect and Enhance Non-Aeronautical Revenues. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26091.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter 1 - Overview of the Guidebook." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2021. Rethinking Airport Parking Facilities to Protect and Enhance Non-Aeronautical Revenues. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26091.
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1 Overview of the Guidebook This guidebook focuses on parking-related strategies available to airport staff as they address the ongoing and future uncertainty regarding how parking activity, facilities, and revenues are impacted by rapid changes in the transportation industry. In particular, the introduction of transportation network companies (TNCs) and the eventual introduction of automated vehicles (AVs) has had and will continue to have fundamental impacts on how airline passengers choose to travel to and from airports. This guidebook presents (a) potential strategies and methods for estimating future public (or commercial) parking needs in an envi- ronment of uncertainty, (b) approaches for repurposing existing parking facilities that may not be needed to meet future demand, and (c) strategies and technologies for maintaining or enhancing net parking revenues in an environment where future parking revenues are at risk. 1.1 Guidebook Purpose As described in Chapter 2, TNCs first started appearing at U.S. airports in 2012. Prior to that point, passenger behavior regarding ground transportation to and from airports had remained relatively stable for decades: if originating and terminating (i.e., non-connecting) passenger traffic increased by 10%, demand for parking spaces (including demand accommodated in off-airport parking facilities) generally increased by 10%. At certain points in time, demand for parking at a specific airport might have been subject to adjustments due to singular events, such as prohibition of non-passengers past security (which substantially reduced demand for short-duration parking associated with passenger drop-off), construction of a new parking capacity at an airport that historically had insufficient parking capacity (which could increase the share of passengers willing to park), or a rapid change in an airport’s share of passengers who were residents versus visitors (a decrease in the resident share could decrease the share of passengers willing to park). After parking demand had adjusted to those events, further changes in demand typically reverted back to the traditional relationship of changing at the same rate as the annual origi- nating and terminating passenger traffic. Furthermore, the duration of the adjustment period was typically limited to a few months following the singular event. Therefore, after accounting for the impacts of such one-time adjustments, an airport could develop long-range capital plans and financial projections with the understanding that the risk to those projections was typically limited to variations in passenger activity. The introduction of TNCs, however, had a different type of impact on parking demand. First, the volume and proportion of airline passengers selecting TNCs (mode share) increased steadily since 2012 (with an associated reduction in parking mode share) as opposed to a one-time adjustment occurring over a shorter period. Second, as of 2020, many U.S. airports C H A P T E R 1

2 Rethinking Airport Parking Facilities to Protect and Enhance Non-Aeronautical Revenue reported that the TNC mode share continues to grow and there is little certainty regarding the eventual maximum mode share TNCs may achieve. Therefore, there is similar uncertainty as to the eventual maximum impact of TNCs on parking demand and the associated facility requirements and revenues. For longer-term projections of parking demand and revenues, the uncertainty is compounded by the potential impact of AVs. As a result, traditional methods of forecasting future demands and the associated facility requirements for airport public parking may no longer be appropriate. Airport planners and operators must now estimate how passenger propensity to park may change without knowing precisely the eventual magnitude of the changes or the speed at which these changes may occur. The ongoing impact of TNCs on parking demand and the associated revenues has also led to three key questions: 1) What methods are available to forecast future parking demands given the ongoing and future uncertainty regarding passenger propensity to park? 2) If total parking demand reduces, what can an airport do with the resulting excess parking capacity? In particular, how could unneeded parking facilities be repurposed to generate replacement (or new) revenues or relieve congestion in other facilities? 3) What strategies and technologies are available today to offset the revenue reductions airports have observed (or anticipate) due to continued growth in the TNC mode share? This guidebook is intended to provide airport management answers to those questions. 1.2 Methodology Used to Prepare the Guidebook The guidebook was prepared under the direction and guidance of the project panel. It reflects information gathered through the following methods: • An extensive literature review that included articles published in periodicals, academic journals, and on company websites; presentations delivered at conferences and relevant webinars; and prior ACRP reports and syntheses; • Interviews with staff of over 20 airports and airport operators (Represented airports included large- and medium-hub airports in the United States as well as comparably-sized airports in Canada, Europe, and Australia. The research focused on busier airports as they were more likely to have considered and implemented the parking technologies and facility repurposing strategies that were the focus of the research. Interviewed airport staff were those responsible for the planning, operational, and/or business aspects of their airport’s parking facilities.); • Site visits, conducted as part of the research or as part of other ongoing projects, at 15 U.S. airports; • Interviews with staff from two parking operators responsible for the day-to-day management of parking at more than 80 airports in the United States; • Interviews with staff from six international airport planning, parking, and rental car consul- tants, including members of the research team; • Interviews with staff from two private airport parking developers and one real estate development consultant; • Interviews with more than 10 parking equipment and software providers; • Research into the processing capacity of a range of potential commercial vehicle loading configurations, including site visits and microsimulations; • Reviews of numerous prior projects conducted by the research team and other consultants; and • The research team’s experience gained through projects conducted during the research period.

Overview of the Guidebook 3 The research conducted under this project was coordinated with the research performed for ACRP Research Report 215: Transportation Network Companies (TNCs): Impacts to Airport Revenues and Operations—Reference Guide. To avoid duplication of work, the principal inves- tigators conferred regularly to discuss preliminary findings and the direction of their respective research. This guidebook focuses on the design elements of the adaptive reuse or repurposing of on-airport parking structures to accommodate the increased use of TNCs while ACRP Research Report 215 focuses on policy planning, landside operations, and financial impacts resulting from the continued increased use of TNCs. 1.3 Guidebook Organization This guidebook answers the three questions posed in Section 1.1 in seven chapters and three appendices. Chapters 2 through 7 are summarized below. Chapters 2 and 3 address the question, “What methods are available to forecast future parking demands given the ongoing and future uncertainty regarding passenger propensity to park?” • Chapter 2: Current and Future Risks to Public Parking and Ground Transportation Revenues and Facilities describes the current and likely future transportation services and technologies that are expected to impact how passengers travel to and from airports now and in the future. The chapter focuses on TNCs and AVs and their historical and potential impacts on airport parking facility requirements and parking revenues. • Chapter 3: Estimating Future Parking Facility Needs provides a methodology and examples for the development of forecasts of future parking requirements given ongoing and potential future mode shifts resulting from TNCs, AVs, and other disruptors. Examples are provided showing how the methodology can be adapted based on the data available. Next, Chapters 4 and 5 address the question “If total parking demand reduces, what can an airport do with the resulting excess parking capacity?” • Chapter 4: Adapting Parking Facilities for Other Vehicular Uses focuses on alternative layouts and configurations of TNC passenger loading areas. This chapter also provides references to prior ACRP documents that provide guidance on layouts for other commercial vehicles and a range of public parking products and services. • Chapter 5: Repurposing Parking Facilities for Non-Vehicle Uses focuses on strategies to improve the attractiveness of land currently dedicated to on-airport parking for redevelop- ment or reuse. This chapter provides guidelines on strategies to “future-proof” new parking structures to facilitate future conversion to non-vehicular uses. The chapter also recognizes that (a) repurposing of existing surface parking facilities is similar to developing other vacant airport land and (b) it is extremely unlikely that an airport owner or operator would choose to repurpose a parking structure for another use unless such a conversion was incorporated into the original structure design. Finally, Chapters 6 and 7 address the question “What strategies and technologies are avail- able today to offset the revenue reductions airports have observed (or anticipate) due to continued growth in the TNC mode share?” • Chapter 6: Airport Parking Management Models summarizes industry best practices in the establishment of operating agreements for airport parking facilities with the goal of reduc- ing operating expenses and an airport’s risks associated with potential future reductions in parking revenues. • Chapter 7: Innovative Payment Systems and Technologies for Public Parking and Ground Transportation highlights current technologies that have the potential to improve an airport’s

4 Rethinking Airport Parking Facilities to Protect and Enhance Non-Aeronautical Revenue parking market share, improve the gross revenues generated by airport parking, and/or reduce airport parking operating costs. This chapter also presents an update on the strategies avail- able to airports to offset potential reductions in parking revenues—changes in commercial vehicle fees and consideration of airport access fees charged to the public. This guidebook also contains the following appendices: • Appendix A, a bibliography of the resource documents reviewed as part of this research; • Appendix B, acronyms used in this report; and • Appendix C, a glossary of the key terms used in this report. 1.4 Data Limitations At many airports, access to TNC activity data (e.g., number of trips made by TNCs or the number of passengers transported) is subject to non-disclosure agreements and other constraints. Thus, many airports are unwilling or unable to authorize use of their TNC data. Therefore, some examples in this guidebook may anonymize the airport that provided the relevant TNC and parking data. 1.5 Ongoing Evolution Documents that provide information on technologies, their cost, and rate of development have the inherent risk of that information becoming quickly out-of-date. Thus, as AV technology continues to advance and evolve, predictions regarding key aspects of their deployment may become quickly obsolete. As described in Chapter 2, aspects of AVs expected to directly impact airport parking demand include their speed of development, the rate of public acceptance, and the costs to purchase and operate. Each of those factors is subject to potentially significant change as AV technologies evolve. Similarly, discussions of parking technologies and the associ- ated costs, such as those presented in Chapter 7, may become quickly out-of-date as technologies improve and software and equipment vendors develop and deploy improvements to existing technologies and/or new technologies. For these reasons, as airport practitioners develop estimates of future public parking needs and revenues or investigate and evaluate strategies and technologies to enhance public parking net revenues, practitioners are encouraged to obtain updated information regarding the current state of AV and parking-specific technologies. For AVs, potential sources of updated information include: • Governmental organizations, such as TRB and U.S. DOT; • Industry organizations, such as the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International and SAE; • Various consultants and academic transportation institutes; and • AV and supporting technology manufacturers (though such information should be viewed in the context of their commercial objectives). For parking equipment and technologies, potential sources of updated information include: • Industry organizations, such as the International Parking and Mobility Institute and the National Parking Association; • Various consultants who specialize in parking planning, operations, revenue control, and revenue management; and • Parking equipment manufacturers and software providers (though such information should be viewed in the context of their commercial objectives).

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Ongoing and emerging shifts in customer ground access behavior, resulting from the growing use of transportation network companies (TNCs) and the eventual adoption of emerging technologies, are posing a significant challenge to the reliance of airports on parking revenue.

The TRB Airport Cooperative Research Program's ACRP Research Report 225: Rethinking Airport Parking Facilities to Protect and Enhance Non-Aeronautical Revenues is a guidance document that identifies near-term and long-term solutions to help airports of all types and sizes repurpose, renovate, or redevelop their parking facilities to address the loss of revenue from airport parking and other ground transportation services.

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