01 / Context and task
Parking in the centre got expensive
When hourly parking in the central district rose from 100 to 360 rubles, my friends kept paying, while I always managed to find a free legal spot. The knowledge existed, but nobody had put it in one place. The task: help drivers find free spots that are legal, without creating conflicts with residents.
02 / Process
I drove around the city and checked every spot myself
There was no open dataset, so most of the time went into field research. I entered every point manually and set a strict rule: no zones with no-parking signs, barriers, or gates, even open ones. Each point on the map shows the address, capacity, and coordinates that can be copied into a navigator.
03 / Solution
A simple map, free for everyone
Open the map, pick a spot, copy the coordinates. A warning on the site reminds drivers to check signs on the spot, and an email lets anyone report a new spot or an error.
04 / Promotion and criticism
I pitched the project to media and answered the critics
I pitched Parkovkin to urban media. It appeared in the print edition of Metro St. Petersburg, and MR-7 published a story about the project and my personal story. MR-7 also pointed out that some spots were in residential courtyards, which could annoy residents. I answered publicly: every point is a public zone where parking is legal, and the feedback email exists to remove any spot quickly if I made a mistake. I built the project to help people, not to start conflicts.
05 / Result
6,800+
unique visitors
11K+
page views
87%
of visitors came from search
700K+
combined media coverage views