Parking guru Don Shoup was invited to speak in Santa Rosa as an expert on parking policies. Though the city is the only one in Sonoma County to charge for parking (to the chagrin of downtown merchants), it is considering building a 545-space garage.
Santa Rosa, city of 160,000 and county seat of Sonoma County in the wine country of the Bay Area, and area non-profits including the Climate Protection Campaign,invited UCLA Professor Don Shoup to speak to the city council and community on August 11 about downtown parking policies as they relate to economic development, climate change, and traffic circulaton. (See press release)
Shoup answered skeptics of 'pay parking' with 'charge more!', showing how pay parking adds to the ambience of downtown by providing revenue to clean and enhance it.
"Santa Rosa currently charges a flat $1 per hour for curbside parking downtown no matter the location, and 75-cents an hour in its garages and surface lots.
Shoup, who earlier toured downtown Santa Rosa, said he's aware of criticism of Santa Rosa's parking policies, including those who say in letters to the editor that they shop at Coddingtown or in other cities rather than in downtown Santa Rosa because the others offer free parking."
The issue is particularly relevant to Santa Rosa, currently engaged "on a joint proposal by the council and a private developer to build a 545-space, city-owned parking garage and 151-room, privately-owned boutique hotel on a 1.3-acre E Street site that now houses a 116-space city surface parking lot."
"How Shoup's views will play in Santa Rosa remain to be seen. His appearance was triggered by a growing council debate over whether the city has enough parking. The audience of 120 people included the city council and members of city boards and commissions, local business and environmental groups and biking organizations."
Thanks to Allen Tacy
FULL STORY: Expert tells Santa Rosa: Raise parking fees
Watch: How to Remove Thousands of Parking Spaces
What the city of Amsterdam will gain by removing cars from on-street parking space.
Wine Country Wildfires Put Spotlight on Transmission Lines
No cause has yet been attributed to California's deadliest wildfires, but the connections to fallen power lines and exploding transformers, maintained by PG&E, have been exposed in a series of reports by the Bay Area News Group.
New Commuter Train Comes Through for Fire-Ravaged Santa Rosa
Sonoma-Marin Rail Transit (SMART) has been operating almost continuously at full schedule, collecting no fares since the epic wildfires began in Sonoma County on Oct. 8. Two stations in the fire-zone are shut down due to lack of access.
Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?
King County Supportive Housing Program Offers Hope for Unhoused Residents
The county is taking a ‘Housing First’ approach that prioritizes getting people into housing, then offering wraparound supportive services.
Researchers Use AI to Get Clearer Picture of US Housing
Analysts are using artificial intelligence to supercharge their research by allowing them to comb through data faster. Though these AI tools can be error prone, they save time and housing researchers are optimistic about the future.
Making Shared Micromobility More Inclusive
Cities and shared mobility system operators can do more to include people with disabilities in planning and operations, per a new report.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
planning NEXT
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie