Parking Conditions for Residential Delivery in New York City: A Case Study Analysis

This study employed basic demand estimation, field observation, text analysis, and spatial analysis methods to examine the adequacy of the existing supply of commercial dedicated parking space in high-density areas of New York City to accommodate expected demand for direct-to-home deliveries. The study also examined the proximity of available commercial dedicated parking space to end delivery locations. The study estimated and mapped two performance metrics: (1) the share of on-street commercial dedicated parking demanded for expected U.S. Postal Service residential freight deliveries, and (2) the share of these package deliveries expected to occur within a reasonable walking distance of a commercial dedicated parking space. The study relies on a variety of open data sources and on limited field observations; owing to data limitations, and resulting assumptions for baseline analysis, sensitivity analysis was also conducted. Results suggest that there is currently both a spatial and temporal mismatch between the commercial dedicated parking supply and expected residential delivery demand, and that shifts toward express deliveries may exacerbate this mismatch. Future research needs are also discussed.