Unlocking the Curb Conundrum: How to Solve Our Parking Crisis

"Curb parking, it seems, is the stuff of neighborhood psy-ops. It brings out the crazy in people. And that fact — our intense, animalistic territoriality about curb parking — is among the fundamental realities of urban politics," writes Durning. "It’s a root cause, I argue, of most of what’s wrong with how cities manage parking. And much is wrong with how cities manage parking. Consequently, somehow defusing or counteracting this territoriality could release a cascade of good news, if it allows cities to manage parking better. Parking policy is a secret key to solving urban problems ranging from housing affordability to traffic, from economic vitality to carbon pollution — plus a snarl of other ills."

Inspired by parking guru Donald Shoup, Durning summarizes the way out:  

1. Charge the right prices for curb parking spaces,
2. Return the resulting revenue to the neighborhoods from which it was collected, and then,
3. Repeal off-street parking requirements.