Park Burlington Launches New Interactive Parking Map in Partnership with Burlington Code Academy
Park Burlington Launches New Interactive Parking Map in Partnership with Burlington Code Academy
Burlington, Vt. – Park Burlington, a public-private partnership between Burlington Business Association and the Department of Public Works, announces the release of a new interactive parking map covering downtown Burlington. The map was created by Lauren Grimley, Lee Peters, Jon Russell, and Michael Muzzy, as a capstone project at Burlington Code Academy.
“Burlington isn’t Boston or Montreal, but parking can still be a pinch point for visitors,”
said Alex Bunten, special projects manager at the Burlington Business Association. “Our goal with this map was to make parking downtown as transparent as possible so people know what to expect.”
The interactive map shows over 7,500 publicly-accessible parking spaces in downtown Burlington. Prices range from less than a $1 for many on-street spaces to about $1 per hour at municipal lots and garages and $4 per hour at privately-owned facilities.
New map features include:
- Destination search and walk circle – type in your destination and quickly see parking options within a short walk radius.
- Incorporated Google Street view – users can get a “virtual” view of the street.
- Easy navigation to any parking type – get directions from your current location to any parking facility listed in the map.
- Filtered parking types – need short term parking? All day parking? Easily filter your options from inside the map.
- Responsive – easy to use on any device, mobile or desktop.
“This map is part of a long-term effort to improve customer service and the parking experience downtown,” said Jeff Padgett, division director for parking and traffic at the Department of Public Works. “The map has always been a popular feature on ParkBurlington.com and for good reason – it helps direct locals and visitors alike straight to parking that is convenient for them.”
Every Burlington Code Academy cohort pairs a group of their soon-to-graduate students with a local organization that has a coding conundrum. In 2020, the BBA was chosen as a community partner to create a new parking map. After graduation Michael Muzzy continued to work with BBA to finalize the map. The design and structure were informed by the many years of community feedback from the original 2017 map.
“We could only do so much in the time we had,” said Bunten, “but I was continually impressed by the team’s willingness to dig in and solve any design or functionality issue that came up. And I really appreciate Michael sticking with the project to the end. He’s been nothing but professional and responsive through the whole process. I highly recommend local organizations work with Burlington Code Academy on these community projects. It’s win-win for all.”
Areas discussed for future development include: expanding the coverage to all of Burlington, including parking zones for Operation Clean Sweep and Winter Parking Bans, mapping points of interest, listing all unrestricted parking (free) and many others.
Park Burlington welcomes feedback on the new map at this Google Survey.
According to Burlington Code Academy chief operations officer, Alex Horner, this is among a growing number of student projects to be fully implemented after a cohort graduates. The first was the Green Up Day app, which enabled administrators to see real-time data of waste collection efforts.
“Having students work with real organizations as their capstone project gives them the practical, hands-on experience that companies seek in applicants when hiring new team members,” said Horner. “The students get to experience working in a software development team – managing responsibilities, meeting project goals – and as a result, they produce a solid addition to be featured in their portfolios. For the organizations we partner with, they get the opportunity work with a group of talented developers, and produce something that benefits their local community.”
“Working with Lauren, Lee, and Jon supported by BCA’s top-shelf instructors was immersive, educational, and fun,” said Muzzy. “It has been a pleasure to work with BBA and motivating to work on something that benefits the community I love and grew up in.”
Park Burlington is a city council-approved public/ private partnership between the Department of Public Works and the Burlington Business Association which involves many community partners and stakeholders. Its mission is to improve the parking and transportation dynamics in Burlington, Vermont.
Burlington Code Academy teaches adults the skills they need to start a career in coding and user experience (UX) design in 12 weeks. Founded in 2017 by Benny Boas and Alex Horner, Burlington Code Academy was born out of a shared vision: to create an accessible technology school that always gives students a return on their investment. The school has since earned a reputation as a leading center for career transformation and technology education. BCA’s award winning education programs emphasize teamwork, career-readiness and the importance of collaborative learning.