New Apple HQ's 11,000 Parking Spots Shows Need For Better Planning, Expert Says
CUPERTINO (KCBS) – Apple has bragged that its new headquarters may be the "greenest" building in the world. But the same cannot be said about its transportation plan.
The campus, known as Apple Park, comes with a building that looks like a spaceship. It also comes with parking for 11,000 cars, reportedly due to city requirements.
"They're going to generate a lot of emissions if you consider many of the moving pieces here, including that this facility is located very far from any mainline public transportation," said Jason Henderson, a San Francisco State University geology professor who studies transportation.
"You're basically forcing most of the workers to drive," Henderson told KCBS.
Henderson said despite talking a lot about transportation, work and the environment for the last 30 years, we haven't done a very good job of planning.
He believes Cupertino and surrounding communities should be looking at more housing.
"And getting more of the future employees of Apple to want to live in a diverse mixture of different kinds of buildings and housing types, in those suburbs," Henderson said.
That's probably the most long-lasting solution to cutting down on car trips and their polluting emissions.
Until then, the most immediate fix will likely be more private shuttles.
