Nearly 21 million people live in metropolitan Mexico City. Since 90 percent of Latin America’s population is expected to live in cities by 2050, Mexico City will probably increase considerably. For Daniel Madariaga, a sustainability and mobility expert, creating smart cities will be essential for management. The term smart city is generally defined as a city that makes wide use of information and communications technologies to provide better public services and increased benefits. These can include energy, transportation, connectivity, medical care and public services while also reducing consumption, waste and environmental impact. Among the primary obstacles to smart cities is traffic congestion and emissions, especially in cities with high populations like Mexico City. A big part of congestion, however, comes the availability of parking spots. According to the 2018 Journal of Transport Economics and Policy, 15 percent of congestion is a result of drivers looking for parking spaces.
Higher congestion leads to higher stress and more pollution. Mexico, for example, generates over 973 million tons of CO2 per year. To counteract this problem, Daniel Madariaga believes automated parking structures will play a big part. They can reduce congestion, provide more parking areas while still making good use of limited real estate. As cities grow, more people will spend time looking for spots in limited available parking areas, which also necessarily take up green spaces and increase heat island problems. Automated parking structures offer a solution. Current parking structures involve many levels. A large percentage goes to driving lanes to and from the levels, which amounts to unused parking area.
Automated parking structures resemble bookshelves with slots reached by elevator. The driver leaves the car at the entrance kiosk and the automated system moves the car to and from a slot, saving driver time and stress, reducing pollution and utilizing a higher percentage of the structure due to eliminated driving lanes. Daniel Madariaga also sees the opportunity to incorporate green and sustainable building materials for additional environmental benefits. Daniel Madariaga is an entrepreneur and businessman specializing in mobility and environmentally-friendly technologies, including Mobility as a Service. He is educated at the Monterrey Technological University EDGADE School of Business. He also runs hotel businesses, for which he studies green building materials and methods.
