Sustainable Transportation For Smith College: An Investigation of the Campus Parking Master Plan

This project investigated how well the February 2007 Campus Parking Master Plan has been implemented at Smith College. The three main objectives of the project included: an investigation of why all the recommended programs in the plan were based on economic benefits, an evaluation of the success and failure of implemented programs based on how they reduced the demand for parking, and to contribute to Smith College’s goal of becoming environmentally sustainable by refining programs outlined in the plan and suggesting new ones. To conduct this investigation, I partnered with Krista Matatt. Together we conducted interviews with James Lowenthal, Chair of Smith’s Sustainability Committee, and Paul Ominsky, Director of Public Safety. We analyzed the Campus Parking Master Plan that was drafted by consultants Fuss and O’Neill. The Plan was drafted to allow for the construction of Ford Hall without having to increase the supply of parking on campus. We found that while most of the implemented programs were successful in reducing the need for more parking spaces on campus, there is definitely room for improvement. Overall, our findings indicate that while the Campus Parking Master Plan was drafted for economic reasons, it was done so with environmental sustainability in mind. Therefore it is a great starting point toward achieving sustainable transportation at Smith College