The Architectural Plausibility of an Urban Parking Facility Project: A Jos City Centre Scenario

Abstract

This paper is aimed at addressing the car park shortage problem of the Central Business District, CBD, of Jos, the Plateau State capital, Nigeria, West Africa. The car park dilemma has become a blot in the landscape in the city centre as a result of its gross inadequacy. A study of the city centre’s car park problem revealed a continuing, incremental trend whose magnitude cannot be easily quantified.  The purpose of this paper is to put forward a plausible, sustainable solution which would address the parking problem such that it is contained as the need arises irrespective of the developmental stride of the city centre. This was achieved by undertaking a field investigation and an Outline Architectural Design of a prototype car park facility in the form of add – on – module to address the exigencies of sustainability and adaptability to address the unpredictable but surely increasing future car park needs. Through this means emerges a blueprint for means of addressing the present car park problems and also the future requirements within the framework of socio - economic, environmental and sustainability angles.

Keywords: Architectural Design, Car Park, Central Business District (CBD), Planning, Sustainability