Introduction
Q-Park Student Awards
Understanding the trends that impact parking
We are proud to present this collection of the winning Q-Park Student Awards since 2014.
Parking is and will continue to be an essential link in the mobility chain. In the coming years, the sector will continue to be influenced by many trends and developments as well as new players and changing partnerships. Opportunities in the parking sector are being created by:
sustainability and liveability needs: reducing emissions and urban accessibility;
socioeconomic trends: aging population, further urbanisation, e-shopping;
technological developments: electric and smart cars;
diverse Mobility as a Service (MaaS) applications.
Understanding these trends and their potential impact on parking is key for the future of the sector. Academic research performed by applied science and academic students can make valuable contributions to this knowledge.
The winning abstracts contained in this publication can be classified in four major themes:
Parking demand
Parking choice behaviour
Parking as mobility management tool
Parking and electric vehicles
Celebrating 10 years of cooperation
In cooperation with the Erasmus University Rotterdam, Q-Park established the Q-Park Student Award in 2014 for the best project or research conducted on parking and mobility written at a college or university in Europe.
We have commissioned this publication of abstracts to share knowledge with the industry and interested parties. We more than appreciate your feedback, but more importantly, we value your commitment and sponsorship to increase relevant knowledge and accelerate the journey towards sustainable urban mobility.
Bridging the knowledge gap
When we established this award in 2014, our purpose was twofold: on the one hand we wanted to mark the retirement of our founder, Ward Vleugels. On the other, we sought to bridge the considerable gap between research on parking and practitioners in the sector.
As a sustainable mobility partner, Q-Park has welcomed the dramatic rise in research on parking in the last 20 years. But we have also noted the knowledge mismatch between what practitioners need in the field and what students have produced. Put simply, the two are driven by different goals.
But as the abstracts presented here show, these two worlds can come closer to generate new knowledge which combines both research rigour and new ideas for practitioners to tackle current and future challenges. Student research projects make a valuable contribution to bridging the knowledge gap.
Winning abstracts
Since its inception in 2014, more than 80 theses and projects have been considered for the award, which is open to all European universities and colleges.
Each year, a shortlist of is selected based on academic and socioeconomic relevance quality. A panel of Parking & Mobility experts assesses the submissions and selectes three finalists. Each of the winning students gives a brief presentation of their research and findings.
Increasing breadth and depth
Today, we welcome research from colleges and universities throughout Europe – on parking and sustainable mobility challenges. Ensuring that both applied sciences and academic students are positively influenced to contribute to sustainable urban mobility challenges.
Thank you
We would like to thank and congratulate all students who submitted their research for the Q-Park Student Award. All students have actively contributed to create new knowledge for the parking sector. In the coming years, we hope that many more students will conduct research on parking and mobility related themes.
We are also truly grateful to all the supervisors who have helped the students to conduct their research and to graduate. We hope you will keep feeding the Q-Park Student Award.
We trust that this publication will continue to build bridges by inspiring students and academics to conduct research on parking and sustainable urban mobility.
Maastricht, November 2024
Frank De Moor – Q-Park
Theo Thuis – Q-Park
Giuliano Mingardo – Erasmus University Rotterdam
