Parking facilities are no longer just an accessory cost of the city. Within the contemporary mobility ecosystem, these structures are becoming infrastructural nodes capable of improving urban accessibility, relieving traffic pressure, generating recurring revenues, and enabling value-added services for citizens, businesses, and event organizers.
In the long term, advanced parking management integrates digital technologies, flexible pricing models, and ancillary services that transform a “transit” infrastructure into a true strategic asset for investors and local areas.
From Cost to Value: Why Parking Facilities Are Strategic Assets
Urban development and regeneration projects, the growth of city events, and the reconfiguration of home–work travel flows make parking facilities essential nodes for the economic vitality of neighborhoods.
A well-located and efficiently managed parking facility intercepts both local and destination demand (offices, retail, hospitality, trade fairs), distributing traffic in an orderly manner, reducing on-street parking, and promoting a more livable city.
For investors, this translates into stable returns, supported by a mix of user segments (occasional, commuter, corporate) and a platform to activate new revenue streams: subscriptions, premium services, partnerships with events and mobility operators.
This is the logic of place-based infrastructure: an infrastructure that creates value both for the asset itself and for the urban context in which it is embedded.
Technology and Automation: From License Plate to “Frictionless Checkout”
Digital transformation is reshaping the parking experience. License plate recognition at entry simplifies access, while QR code or credit card exits ensure fast and seamless payment; automated payment machines reduce queues and allow for a lighter, more scalable on-site presence.
24/7 video surveillance, with daytime supervision, enhances the perception of safety.
All these elements, when coordinated, improve both service quality and asset productivity.
A Best Practice: Parking Portello Fiera | Piazza Gino Valle, Milan
The case of Parking Portello Fiera | Piazza Gino Valle in Milan is emblematic: license plate reading, QR code/credit card exit, automated payment machines, and 24/7 monitored service with direct on-site presence from 6 am to 10 pm are already in place, demonstrating a technology model oriented towards user-friendliness and safety.
Intermodality and Proximity
The strategic impact of a parking facility is also measured by its ability to connect urban hubs, metro lines, and points of interest. Parking Portello Fiera is located in a highly accessible area: just a few minutes’ walk from M5 Portello station (about 600 m) and M1 Lotto station (about 900 m), near Allianz MiCo Milano Convention Center, CityLife, and major corporate offices, with fast connections to the city center.
Thanks to the entrance from Via Aldo Rossi 10 through the Gattamelata tunnel, it can be reached from the A4 and A8 motorways while remaining outside Area B (a large low-emission zone established to progressively restrict access to the most polluting vehicles). This is a key operational advantage for visitors coming from outside Milan and for traffic flows related to events, trade fairs, and matches at San Siro Stadium.
Innovation
The Parking Portello Fiera project embodies many of the sector’s innovation trends.
Open 24/7, 365 days a year, with surveillance, restroom facilities, and advanced amenities, it does not require reservations, further emphasizing its “proximity” vocation for events and urban travel.
Its location between the CityLife district and Allianz MiCo allows it to serve both business and leisure users, with a natural catchment area including corporate headquarters, healthcare and hospitality facilities, retail spaces, and major sports and music events.
The offering of ancillary services—some already operational and others being activated—includes car wash by reservation, mechanical workshop, parcel lockers, and private radio audio broadcasting. These services create new revenue streams and enhance the user experience on-site. The service perimeter also expands with 30 Electrip EV charging stations already active: 10 Hyper Fast chargers and 20 medium/slow AC/HPC chargers.
These choices align with a “hub” vision that integrates mobility, digital services, and user convenience according to standards increasingly attractive to investors.
The previously mentioned accessibility outside Area B makes this parking facility particularly competitive for extra-urban flows and for users who, for technical reasons or due to vehicle power supply, cannot access the more restrictive low-emission zones.
From a customer journey perspective, the combination of smart access, proximity to the metro, and closeness to key attractions creates a seamless experience, measurable through key KPIs: occupancy rate, average parking duration, revenue per space, and subscription conversion rate.
Revenue Models in Parking Management: From Transitory to Corporate
The economic leverage of an urban parking facility lies in the mix of hourly, daily, and subscription-based parking.
Demand linked to events and conferences generates revenue peaks, while 24/7, daytime, and nighttime subscriptions stabilize cash flows, with dedicated plans also for motorcycles and corporate fleets.
Parking Portello Fiera clearly reflects this approach: a structured, differentiated daily tariff system, online subscription purchasing options, and corporate packages. For the operator, this means optimizing occupancy across different time bands; for customers, it ensures predictable costs and guaranteed access.
In a hybrid demand scenario, the ability to adjust pricing strategies becomes a key parking management skill.
Regulations, ESG, and Perspectives of Parking Management: Towards Integrated Mobility
The future direction is clear: parking facilities are evolving into multi-service platforms where the convergence of digital solutions, sustainability, and territorial partnerships creates shared value.
The integration of EV charging points supports transport decarbonization goals; micro-logistics services such as lockers reduce “empty” last-mile kilometers; digital payments and data-driven management enable operational efficiencies and better peak demand planning.
In this evolution, professional parking management plays a crucial role: from user experience design to safety oversight, maintenance, and economic optimization of the asset lifecycle.
Morning Capital’s approach integrates parking management within its full-service real estate offering, covering the entire investment lifecycle.
Since 2023, the company has launched a dedicated parking management division and fully implemented its first pilot project with Parking Portello Fiera — a covered, multi-story facility with over 700 spaces, equipped with state-of-the-art innovations.
Expanding services into parking management aligns with Morning Capital’s strategy of integrated urban asset management, consistent with its asset & investment management, property & building management, advisory, and project management expertise.
Looking ahead, the convergence of events, culture, sports, and tourism will position parking facilities at the center of new service ecosystems: integrated ticketing with shuttles or public transport; dynamic pricing tied to the convention calendar; partnerships with shared mobility and e-retail operators. Moreover, adopting digital twins and real-time analytics will optimize layouts, flows, and predictive maintenance, reducing costs and improving the user experience.
In this context, urban parking facilities are no longer merely “places to stop” but strategic infrastructures that generate value for investors, cities, and communities.
