Parking Meters Provide a Pipeline of Cash in America's Oil Capital

The energy capital of America sees money in them thar autos - in parking them, that is. Tapping motorists for parking bears some similarity to tapping shale basins for oil - without the fracking. Sightline's Alan Durning writes about the resemblance.

2 minute read

October 16, 2013, 6:00 AM PDT

By Irvin Dawid


Houston is getting noticed more often by city planners for their progressive practices, such as recent efforts to make it "denser and more livable", and Mayor Annise Parker's initiative "to make Houston's streets accessible to everyone, and that includes walkers, cyclists, and people who use mobility devices". Add parking reform to the list of planning issues that one might not expect to see in Houston.

A three-mile strip of Houston’s Washington Avenue, plus a block or two on each side of it, has recently become the city’s first “parking benefit district.” Meters have sprouted along this corridor like oil derricks in the West Texas sun.

Parking benefit districts were promoted in 2003 (PDF) by UCLA Professor Don Shoup and colleague Douglas Kolozsvari as a means for businesses or residences to directly benefit from the meters placed on their blocks, as opposed to having all the parking revenues sent to municipal governments to shore up general funds. 

Continuing with the energy analogy, Durning writes that these parking meters are "extracting a steady stream of dollars and cents, and the pipeline of cash flows first to the city to cover the costs of the program and then to a community chest controlled by a local board of residents and business owners." According to the city's webpage (PDF), parking benefit district revenues are used to "finance improvements that enhance the quality of life and promote walking, cycling, and the use of public transportation."

Durning writes that annual revenues are "projected at $170,000 a year" and are expected to "enhance local property values even as the curb pricing will fix parking congestion."

So - what of the conventional practice of sending meter revenue to the city coffers as opposed to the business and neighborhood districts? Durning writes that it "might as well be going to Mars. It has virtually no political salience for most voters."

Houston is not the first Texas city to enact parking benefit districts. The Metropolitan Planning Council's Chrissy Mancini Nichols and MPC Research Assistant Parfait Gasana wrote in June how "how parking benefit districts revitalized Austin, Texas."

Alan Durning, executive director of Sightline, also writes about "parking wars" in Seattle and Portland in this article.

Friday, October 4, 2013 in Sightline Daily

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 30, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Close-up on Canadian flag with Canada Parliament building blurred in background.

Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?

As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?

April 28, 2025 - Benjamin Schneider

Hot air balloons rise over Downtown Boise with the State Capitol building visible amidst the high rises.

The Five Most-Changed American Cities

A ranking of population change, home values, and jobs highlights the nation’s most dynamic and most stagnant regions.

April 23, 2025 - GoodMigrations

People biking along beach path with moored ship in San Diego, California.

San Diego Adopts First Mobility Master Plan

The plan provides a comprehensive framework for making San Diego’s transportation network more multimodal, accessible, and sustainable.

5 hours ago - SD News

Sleeping in Public

Housing, Supportive Service Providers Brace for Federal Cuts

Organizations that provide housing assistance are tightening their purse strings and making plans for maintaining operations if federal funding dries up.

6 hours ago - KSL

Conductor walks down platform next to Amtrak train at station in San Jose, California.

Op-Ed: Why an Effective Passenger Rail Network Needs Government Involvement

An outdated rail network that privileges freight won’t be fixed by privatizing Amtrak.

7 hours ago - Streetsblog USA

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.

Senior Manager Operations, Urban Planning

New York City School Construction Authority

Building Inspector

Village of Glen Ellyn

Manager of Model Development

Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO