How Cities Use Tech for Curb Management

More cities are viewing their curbs as “part of a digital system to support parking, deliveries and the changing dynamic of urban life,” writes Skip Descant in Govtech.

Using technology to monitor curb usage is helping cities implement dynamic parking pricing that adjusts to demand to manage available parking space and evaluate the best uses for curbside space.

Portland, Oregon and Santa Monica, California are both testing ‘zero-emission delivery zones,’ areas in the central business districts of each city that prioritize access for zero-emission delivery vehicles. According to Descant, “Portland officials will learn about the city’s curbs via the curb analytics data collected. A portion of this data will enable them to visualize the operations of B-Line, the micro-freight operator, in the same way Portland already visualizes micromobility data.” 

San Jose, California plans to use digital curb data to create its own dynamic parking pricing program. In San Francisco, officials are working to catalog physical street assets such as signage and bus stops in the same platform as curb space and parking spots to create a comprehensive directory of city assets that can help inform policy decisions.