My Community Planning Workshop (CPW) team will be working on a variety of issues relating to parking, transportation, and the downtown area for the City of Ashland. There are a number of important aspects to the project, including data collection, analysis and public engagement.
A parking and transportation inventory has already been conducted for downtown Ashland over Labor Day weekend to determine the amount of parking spaces available, as well as turnover (the rate at which different cars park in the same spot). To compliment data collection efforts, we will visit Ashland on April 9 to conduct another parking monitoring session. The study will focus on occupancy analysis, meaning percent of the day the parking spaces are occupied. We will walk around the downtown area taking note of occupancy, and come back every two hours to note changes. Analyzing this parking data will provide a clearer picture for the parking problems in Ashland.
In terms of public engagement, the CPW group will be meeting monthly with a project advisory committee (PAC), as well as engaging the community through online surveys. The first survey was made available to the Ashland community in January and was kept open until mid-February. Perceptions about transportation, parking, downtown biking and pedestrian facilities, and the characteristics of the respondents were all gathered in the first survey. My team will create the second survey, which will focus on policy options for problems identified in the first survey. The purpose of the surveys is to gauge perceptions towards parking and transportation issues, and begin brainstorming policy options.
Once all data has been collected and analyzed, and the feedback incorporated, we will create a series of policy recommendations. These recommendations will range from short, mid, to long-term options. They will then be presented to the PAC for further evaluation.
The completion of this project will provide us in-depth experience in the planning field, while also letting us creating a product of professional quality.
About the Author: Originally from Puerto Rico, Nestor Luis Guevara Delgado moved to Pennsylvania for school and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Geography from Pennsylvania State University in December 2012. He is currently a first year student in the Community and Regional Planning graduate program with an interest in Economic Development.