The purpose of this creative project is an inquiry into the design of environmentally responsive and human sensitive surface parking environments for dry temperate climate and results of the inquiry are applied to an existing parking lot for the 8th Street Market Place, Boise, Idaho. Major issues explored are the physical design and the relationship between surface parking lots as a place for both vehicles and pedestrians. The main focus is the provision of an appropriate number of parking stalls, incorporation of plants and harvest of stormwater. A key premise of the inquiry is that adequate parking is more than supplying all of the spaces physically possible, but examining different components of site use to better estimate the demand for parking. Incorporating plants, especially shade trees, can significantly modify the microclimate of a parking lot for the comfort of people within the space. Having trees fulfill their role in the landscape is largely dependent on providing sufficient below ground space. The majority of trees and other plants used in Boise originate from climates that receive more rain, which results in the need for supplemental irrigation to compensate their hydraulic requirements. Rather than viewing stormwater as a waste by product, stormwater can be used as a resource to irrigate these plants. Runoff can be used directly to irrigate plants, and/or be stored for later use. While this creative project examined a particular site, many of the concepts and techniques can be extended to other sites. / Department of Landscape Architecture