In densely built neighbourhoods in Kiel – for example in Damperhof where I live – housing demand is high, while inner courtyards are often allocated to car parking and garages. In many cases, this leaves little or no room for green areas or shared outdoor spaces, even though these would be particularly valuable. I would rather have an open green space to enjoy with all neighbours than a view on some few grey garages.
At the same time, everyday bicycle parking remains difficult. Many existing residential buildings rely on basement storage that is only accessible via stairs, poorly suited to daily use and largely impractical for e‑ or cargo bikes. Bringing bicycles into flats is often not a viable alternative either, due to limited space, safety concerns, missing elevators, cleanlyness…
In newer housing developments, these issues are usually addressed more consistently, with save bicycle parking planned with easy access. However, this is often combined with underground car parks, which significantly increase construction costs, which effects housing and prices. In established cities like Kiel, where most housing stock already exists and opportunities for new construction are limited, such solutions are rarely applicable.
Under these conditions, repurposing existing garages or car parking spaces for bicycle storage seems an obvious step. In practice, this already happens informally: a space originally intended for one car is used to store another vehicle, a bicycle or even several.
#kiel #Parkdruck #Parkung #BikeParking #ArroganceOfSpace
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