On land parking spatial constraints : would a temporary floating installation rectify this?

Abstract

The current parking problems have escalated in recent years due to the increase in the number of vehicles on our roads, with current licensed motor vehicles standing at 325,158. Unfortunately the designated parking areas have not coped with this exponential growth, leaving the present parking situation in disarray. In Malta one may find surface and underground parking areas, namely CCCP in High Street Sliema, plus MCP and 'Park and Ride' in Floriana. Such parking facilities have failed to keep up with the parking demand due to lack of static capacity, inappropriate location and unwillingness to pay tariffs, especially during peak hours and on days of mass activities. Prime localities along the coast offer the possibility of temporary or semi-permanent Floating Car Parks (FCPs) moored at strategic points to ease parking demand. Numerous studies and applications of floating installations are appearing all the time as technology improves. Submerged and Floating parking lots are being constructed in Europe. The P-Arken in Gothenburg, Sweden, is an example of a floating vessel, which accommodates the increase in parking needs. The objective of this dissertation is to raise awareness on the possible application of FCPs and to show that they may act as an attraction for people to gather and be a link between man and machine. They have the potential to be beautiful installations that may form nodes and landmarks in an urban setting, acting as a statement in a progressive culture. To express this notion, visual analyses had to be carried out and environmental effects considered to clearly identify their compatibility and adaptability within the current contexts.