Efficiency is sought in most characteristics of green building. It makes sense. Waste less, gain more. When I first heard of efficient framing - in wood framed homes for example - I had that 'duh' reaction. Why did we start to build inefficiently at all? One answer is the modern luxery of air conditioning, but that doesn't explain how you frame a house.
So today I came across a bike rack that can 'park' 45 bicycles in the space of 4 parking spaces. A modular 'space saver' from Dero. I was impressed, that for something as simple as using a bike over car to get to work, you could save ten times the square feet reserved for transportation on a site plan. When I see parking lots as large as building footprints, I cringe.
One indicator of what it will take for the masses to shift form cars to bike - or any alternative - is the ground they sit on. Cars most often spend their afternoons on hot asphalt or impervious pavement. Bicycles receive shade of buildings or special pavilions, typically on the sidewalk, potentially on pervious paving, and always closest to the entrance.
If we replaced 50% of car parking with bike storage, it could potentially result in more greenspace. In my opinion, it would also cut down on the eyesore of street lots or errie feeling of ten story tall parking garages anchoring towering condos twice as tall.
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