Parking and the City (Book Review)

May 8, 2019

picture of article online

In Parking and the City, urban planning Professor Donald Shoup of the University of California, Los Angeles makes a persuasive case that an oversupply of free parking, off-street parking minimums, and other policies contribute to increased congestion and higher housing costs. Shoup makes the economic case that these policies both subsidize and conceal the true costs of driving and contribute to inequity and suboptimal transportation outcomes. Parking and the City reminds policymakers, practitioners, and the public that parking has a cost. Free parking distorts travel behaviour and economic decisions, penalizes sustainable choices, and contributes to lower wages (by redirecting wage income into parking). Because the true costs of parking are concealed, travellers have an incentive to drive and thereby contribute to congestion and emissions. Shoup makes a compelling argument to allow pricing and the market economy to commodify parking based on price, location, and convenience compared to other modes.

In addition to an over abundance of parking, Parking and the City argues that parking minimums result in a number of additional externalities on housing affordability, historic preservation, the environment, walkability, and local tax revenue. This edited volume....

Read the full book review here: https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/RQq4X7QtFaphSzkXYsAr/full?target=10.1080/01441647.2019.1612481