Wednesday, November 11th, Donald Shoup, Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Urban Planning at UCLA, shared his research and made the case that cities should charge fair market prices for on-street parking, use the meter revenue to finance public services in the metered neighborhoods, and remove off-street parking requirements. The event, held on the USC campus, was co-sponsored by the USC Master of International Public Policy and Management (IPPAM) Program and Partnership for an Equitable Los Angeles (PELA), a student group on the USC campus. 

Shoup, an engaging speaker, humorously presented research showcasing why cities across the nation should remove their off-street parking requirements. He showcased how parking requirements force businesses to convert large portions of their land into parking spaces. He suggested that, instead, city governments should allow business owners to decide how much parking they want for their businesses, and use parking meters on busy streets to reduce air pollution and traffic congestion. 

Shoup argued that our current planning requirements are causing significant harm, raising the cost of construction, which is passed on to consumers in  higher rents and prices,  an especially troublesome problem in low income communities Reforming our planning for parking will produce great benefits for cities, the economy, and the environment.

"Ending a bad planning practice is just as important as starting a good planning practice. Most parking requirements were established 50 years ago and they have gone on for so long without being challenged that most people accept them as right," Shoup shared. He cautioned that it is important for young planners to challenge our current parking policies and to point out the harm done by minimum parking requirements. "Much of our planning for parking is exactly the opposite of what it should be," he concluded, saying “We have expensive housing for people and free parking for cars.”  

Arpita Sharma

Arpita Sharma is a dual Master of Public Policy and Master of Planning Candidate at the USC Price School. She is interested in issues of health inequities, sustainable land use development and active transportation. She expects to complete her degrees in May 2017. She can be reached at arpitasharma.net or at [email protected].