Shared parking space allocation model considering user satisfaction

This paper proposes a shared parking method that takes into account user satisfaction based on the smart parking guidance and real-time occupancy information. By considering parking fees, walking distance, user parking preferences, and acceptable waiting time, a parking satisfaction function is formulated to evaluate the satisfaction of parking users with the allocated parking spaces. Then, a parking request is prioritized to incorporate both user roles and the intended parking duration, which is further used to model the allocation of shared parking spaces with either a static model or a dynamic one. Finally, the model is implemented and validated by using three shared parking lots in Xincheng District, Xi’an, China, as empirical cases. The results indicated that the model overcomes the drawbacks of the traditional model that over-focuses on operator revenue and request acceptance rate. The user satisfaction with shared parking is increased by an average of 31.52%, in line with the ‘human-oriented’ development trend of smart city prospects.