Vaughan Mills Parking Study

As Vaughan transitions toward a more walkable and transit-oriented urban center, understanding how large retail parking areas function today is critical to planning future redevelopment. Vaughan Mills Mall, one of the largest retail destinations in the greater Toronto area, is an example of a large, successful, yet auto-centric development that is now at odds with the city of Vaughan’s transportation plan.

Parkalytics was contracted to collect and analyze parking data to identify areas to be restructured, or repurposed to support densification and the creation of a more walkable, transit-supportive urban center.

Parkalytics used drones for data collection, in combination with proprietary machine-learning models measured utilization, demand, and turnover every 30 minutes across 6,400 spaces. This is an undertaking that would be next to impossible by manual methods.

Over 43,000 visits were measured across three days, by a single on-site staff member, without collecting any personally identifiable information (such as license plates), a task that would require dozens and dozens of traditional surface staff. This data was quickly and easily processed and analyzed by Parkalytics, resulting in a data-driven study outcome. The results provided a clear evidence base to explore redevelopment planning, parking optimization, and long-term intensification of the site.