Donald Shoup, a revolutionary UCLA urban-planning professor, dedicated his career to the study of parking, earning him widespread acclaim in his field. Renowned for his declaration that 'free parking is not free,' Shoup argued that the costs of parking are borne by others—municipalities, businesses, and pedestrians. His work highlighted that extensive parking requirements diminish urban density and foster car dependency, contributing to the decline of vibrant urban neighborhoods. Upon his passing, he was celebrated as a 'parking rock star,' influencing countless scholars and practitioners to rethink the economics and policies surrounding urban parking.
Free parking is not free. Someone is always paying for that occupied spot, whether the bill falls to a taxpaying neighbor, a local business, or sometimes, awfully, to a pedestrian.
Parking spaces in new buildings decrease housing density and encourage car ownership... Many places demolished a lot of good urban neighborhoods to make room for car storage that now stand half-empty.
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