Case Study
City of Evanston
Data-Driven Policy Funds Improvements
and Repairs For the City of Evanston
Who’s Involved
Mark Turenne Jr. | Parking Operations Specialist for the City of Evanston
Susie Hall | Management Analyst for the City of Evanston
Customer Takeaways
ParkHub’s Smarking BI gives us the ability to measure and visualize – with data – the exact results of our programs and initiatives. With Smarking BI’s data, it became significantly easier to communicate to the public, city council, and the media what our city’s goals are and why we took the action we did.
Mark Turenne Jr., Parking Operations Specialist for the City of Evanston
No other solution allows us to turn our data into insights in the same way as ParkHub’s Smarking BI does. We feel confident when making recommendations to city council knowing that we have the data to back them up.
Susie Hall, Management Analyst for the City of Evanston
Summary
In 2021, the City of Evanston introduced new measures to fund improvements to downtown garages and enhance its Climate Action and Resilience Plan. The city-funded these improvements with a new $1 rate for the first parking hour, generating significant revenue. Evanston also introduced paid parking at the lakefront, with dynamic pricing that adjusted seasonally. The city used data from ParkHub’s Smarking BI to assess the impact of these initiatives, enabling transparent communication of its effectiveness to the public and stakeholders.
The Challenge
Establish new, reliable revenue streams to fund improvements while maintaining affordable parking for residents and visitors.
Reduce traffic and incentivize turnover at the popular lakefront location by charging for on-street parking.
Understand and communicate the effectiveness of any rate changes to the public.
The Solution
Data-Driven Decision Making
Partnering with ParkHub, Evanston adopted Smarking BI’s tools to determine rates and then monitor and evaluate the impact of the parking strategies. Before the full launch of lakefront parking, the city conducted a successful pilot program using data from the platform’s dashboard to monitor its success. Smarking BI allowed the city to make informed decisions and effectively communicate benefits to the public and local government officials.
Paid Parking
The city introduced paid parking at the downtown garages and the lakefront area to manage congestion and promote turnover at popular locations. At the garages, the first hour of parking was $1. At the lakefront area, pricing dynamically adjusted between $3 per hour in the summer and 50 cents per hour in the winter.
The Results
Increased Revenue
Paid parking led to a decrease in congestion, an increase in turnover, and more visitors to the lakefront area. The new rates generated over $90,000 within the first three months of implementation. Paid parking in the garage generated over $40,000 in the first three quarters after the city initiated the change.
Infrastructure Improvements
The city used revenue from the new parking fees to install electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, a Tesla supercharging station, and bike racks in downtown garages. Funds also paid for necessary repairs and upgrades such as elevator modernization, the installation of new security cameras, and the addition of security personnel.
In Conclusion
The City of Evanston’s strategic implementation of paid parking and dynamic pricing – supported by data-driven insights from ParkHub’s Smarking BI – effectively managed congestion and funded vital infrastructure improvements. These initiatives demonstrate Evanston’s commitment to innovative solutions and the power of data-driven decision-making to address urban parking challenges.
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Experience How ParkHub Can Transform Your Parking Operations
“ParkHub was designed to revolutionize an antiquated industry by providing an agnostic and open technology platform for finding, reserving, and paying for event parking online. As we expanded, we developed a best-in-class, mobile-point-of-sale device and comprehensive management suite, currently used by hundreds of parking operators, sports & entertainment venues, universities, festivals, & more, at thousands of locations across the U.S. With our recent acquisition of Smarking, we also offer full-scale business intelligence, dynamic pricing, and pre-paid reservation products, utilized by numerous municipalities across the country.”
Chris Elliston
ParkHub Chief Revenue Officer