From the urban garage to the domestic garage. The birth and early evolution of parking in American cities

Abstract

The advent of the automobile era in the United States caused an enormous impact on the urban configuration by having to consider the conditions not only for its circulation but also for its storage. The geography of the city became more complex and a network of connected spaces emerged that served as a transition between the public space of the street and the private space inside the buildings. In this way, new public and private typologies were born, such as the urban garage and the domestic garage: transitional spaces for storing cars in large quantities in central areas or individually in domestic environments. This text explores how parking emerged and remained a central concern in the creation and reconstruction of the American urban landscape. This objective is addressed through the chronological study and comparative analysis of these two architectural types: the urban garage and the domestic garage from the moment of their formation as new construction types and during their early evolution.