Urbanists are mourning the loss of a dynamic voice for parking reform and walkable cities.
UCLA professor emeritus and world-renowned parking reform advocate Donald Shoup died last Friday, prompting a wave of tributes from fans, colleagues, and former students.
Known for his seminal book The High Cost of Free Parking, Shoup demonstrated for the first time “how urban parking policies — i.e. low-cost or "free" parking and mandatory parking requirements, were damaging cities economically and culturally,” according to a Streetsblog NYC article by Gersh Kuntzman.
Streetsblog California’s Damien Newton and Melanie Curry explained his legacy, writing, “His message was simple, although at first few wanted to hear it. ‘Parking is free for us only in our role as motorist — not in our roles as taxpayer, employer, commuter, shopper, renter, as a homeowner,’ he pointed out. ‘The cost of parking does not cease to exist just because the motorist doesn't pay for it.’”
Donald Shoup was an exuberant advocate for better cities and a joy to work with. He was a Planetizen Courses instructor and an occasional contributor to Planetizen. Just months ago, he was actively working on a proposal for a pay-on-exit policy to fund sidewalk repairs in Los Angeles.
Shoup’s work on Planetizen:
FULL STORY: Tributes Pour in for Parking Reformer, Urbanist Mentor Donald Shoup
Editorial: Pittsburgh Fails to Provide Adequate Parking Around Downtown
New development coming to Downtown Pittsburgh lacks sufficient parking, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Parking Minimums Not Required in a Larger Section of Houston
The Houston Council voted yesterday to extend its market-base parking program.
Has Anyone at USDOT Read Donald Shoup?
USDOT employees, who are required to go back to the office, will receive free parking at the agency’s D.C. offices — flying in the face of a growing research body that calls for pricing parking at its real value.
Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.
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Driving Equity and Clean Air: California Invests in Greener School Transportation
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Congress Moves to End Reconnecting Communities and Related Grants
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee moved to rescind funding for the Neighborhood Equity and Access program, which funds highway removals, freeway caps, transit projects, pedestrian infrastructure, and more.
From Throughway to Public Space: Taking Back the American Street
How the Covid-19 pandemic taught us new ways to reclaim city streets from cars.
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