Right Space, Right Time: Optimizing Parking in Downtown Clemson

Wednesday, September 16, 9:00AM, Room: Columbia 3

Downtown Clemson is a dynamic and evolving destination that serves residents, visitors, businesses, and the Clemson University campus community. As activity and demand continue to grow, so too does the need for a parking system that is efficient, intuitive, and aligned with the broader goals of downtown vitality. “Right Space, Right Time” reflects a shift in how parking is understood and managed. Rather than focusing solely on increasing supply, this strategy emphasizes optimizing existing resources, improving turnover in high-demand areas, and ensuring that the right users can access the right spaces at the right times.

This presentation outlines a data-informed approach to parking management that: Enhances accessibility for customers and visitors • Supports local businesses through improved parking availability • Reduces congestion and unnecessary circulation • Aligns parking policies with downtown economic development goals by leveraging modern tools, clear policy frameworks, and targeted operational strategies, the City of Clemson can transition from a reactive parking model to a proactive system that supports growth, mobility, and the overall downtown experience.

Learning Objectives

  • Attendees will understand how parking is actually used in downtown Clemson—including peak demand times, underutilized areas, and the difference between perceived shortages and actual availability. The presentation will challenge the common assumption that supply is the issue, showing instead that management, turnover, and behavior often drive parking challenges more than capacity constraints.

  • The presentation will outline a phased, realistic approach to evolving the system—balancing enforcement, customer experience, and economic development.

  • Attendees should leave with a mindset shift: Parking in downtown Clemson is not just about spaces—it’s about access, behavior, and managing demand to support a thriving downtown.

Jim Corbett (Walker Consultants)

An innovative parking professional with over 30 years of leadership in parking operations and fiscal governance, Jim Corbett is part of Walker Consultants’ Planning, Operations, and Technology Group, where he leads strategic planning studies and municipal operations projects locally and throughout the US.

Throughout Jim’s career, he has garnered specialized experience, including but not limited to management of municipal and private parking assets, such as healthcare, performing arts centers, convention centers, concert arenas, sports stadiums, hotels, mixed-use properties, community development districts, preferential parking districts, and urban on-street parking areas.

Rebekah Wilbanks (City of Clemson)

Rebekah Wilbanks has been with the City of Clemson for six years and has served as the Parking Manager since 2024. She has a dedicated history of public service, including eight years of service in the United States Navy.

After exploring the U.S. as a child and traveling the world during her military career, she has called the Upstate home since 2011.