Parking Lot lanscaping - why?

[Hillbeans]

Can someone please explain why many parking lots now have lanscaping in-between the rows with cement blocks? They are square in shape, but they make it next to impossible to park your car in those spaces in the lot because your car hangs out into the driving lane. Does anyone else come across these in their local supermarket or shopping lots?

 

[NotUrsula]

Landscaping in lots helps to cut down the heat in the lot, and often is done because it looks nice, or because local building codes require a certain amount of "green space" in every commercial property.

As to the specific design of the planters, if they block visibility or make certain spaces unusable, then you're just dealing with bad design. Complain and ask them to change the planters.

 

[Pixiedust34]

I don't know. It baffles me, too. I can understand if they want to plant trees in those spots because trees look nice and provide shade, but having just the cement block seems like a waste of space to me.

 

[ckay87]

I don't know. It baffles me, too. I can understand if they want to plant trees in those spots because trees look nice and provide shade, but having just the cement block seems like a waste of space to me.

I agree, but what I've noticed with any newly-constructed parking lot is that the engineers seem to be controlling the flow of traffic a little better. I believe that they want to get away from the big, open, driving free-for-all that parking lots always have been.

Putting the cement partitions up between some aisles, with or without landscaping, forces people to STAY in the aisles.

Again, it's a general trend I've noticed. You see a lot better traffic control within these new parking lots. Directional control, one way in/out, stop signs for pedestrians, etc. I learned the hard way, as a teenager, that with a parking accident, it's very difficult to prove who's at fault because there really are/were no rules, you know?

 

[Hillbeans]

I like the look of landscaping on the sides of the parking lot with the trees, rocks and cement blocks, but it's the landscaping that looks like a diamond that cuts the corners off of 4 parking spaces. Of course in this photo there are two tiny cars that fit nicely in the parking spaces

http://www.mrsc.org/mc/redmondcdg/images/cdg20d02a2.gif

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Those are pretty common in the shopping centers around here. The thing that boggled my mind was the day there was a guy with a CHAIN SAW cutting the trees down! We came out of swimming lessons and they were systematically cutting down every tree in the parking lot! Nice, healthy trees! It was bizarre.

 

[MushyMushy]

It doesn't bother me to let my car overhang when I park in those kinds of lots. There are always those super long pickup trucks that are much longer than my car anyway.

 

[momrek06]

Well we just moved to Southern CA from MA and all the parking lots are not only incredibly landscaped but they have speakers in the bushes and shrubs!!!! It is so amazing. When you get out of your car whether you are at Target or Nordstorms, you can always hear lovely music playing. It was very festive during the holidays!!!

I, myself, love all the greenery!!!

Oh and they have sprinkler systems as well in all these lovely landscaped, musical parking lots!!!

 

[daisax]

Around here they recently had to take down a lot of trees because they were infested with some non-native beetle. Tens of thousands of trees!

So maybe something turned up and it was invasive and there was no option but to get rid of them ASAP?

 

[Hillbeans]

Well we just moved to Southern CA from MA and all the parking lots are not only incredibly landscaped but they have speakers in the bushes and schrubs!!!! It is so amazing. When you get out of your car whether you are at Target or Nordstorms, you can always hear lovely music playing. It was very festive during the holidays!!!

I, myself, love all the greenery!!!

Oh and they have sprinkler systems as well in all these lovely landscaped, musical parking lots!!!

That sounds beautiful!

No, the ones near me just have those diamond-shaped cut-outs with dirt in the middle - no pretty trees or music piped in.

 

[momrek06]

That sounds beautiful!

No, the ones near me just have those diamond-shaped cut-outs with dirt in the middle - no pretty trees or music piped in.

Oh, it really is...first time I got out of my car (while shopping in CA) , I looked at DH and said "listen to that music"...we were impressed. Oh and if there is no room in said parking lot for the music speakers in the ground...the speakers are high on the light posts all around the parking lot!!! Coming from MA, the elements (winter) I do not think this would work. Snow piled high on the ground would prevent speakers in the landscaping.

Sorry, if I got OT!

 

[Stucas]

I like the look of landscaping on the sides of the parking lot with the trees, rocks and cement blocks, but it's the landscaping that looks like a diamond that cuts the corners off of 4 parking spaces. Of course in this photo there are two tiny cars that fit nicely in the parking spaces

http://www.mrsc.org/mc/redmondcdg/images/cdg20d02a2.gif

I drive a beetle and I fit fine in those spots, lol. Actually I love them because there are so many suvs out there that can't fit in those spots I can usually get one of those spots despised by others.

However when I was driving DHs VUE...I hated them


-Lauren