In a recent column for Detroit Free Press, Nancy Kaffer responded to a proposal by Detroit Mayor Kevin Orr to raise the price of a parking ticket in Detroit by $20 to $45.
Nancy Kaffer lays out an argument that the city is approaching parking all wrong—and not just because the city spends more than it collects when writing tickets. According to Kaffer, even new fines proposed by Mayor Kevin Orr would not give parking its proper value among the city’s many related land use policies and regulations.
“In Detroit, parking exists largely in isolation, disconnected from the planning process. And that’s a problem. The city’s municipal parking system should complement its planning and development process, and should be a part of a comprehensive strategy that includes surface lots and parking decks downtown and sets smart guidelines for metered parking in downtown and Midtown,” writes Kaffer.
Kaffer also says that Orr’s proposal to raise the price of a ticket is missing the point because viewing parking as a revenue generator fails to connect parking to an economic agenda.
To propose an alternative approach, Kaffer paraphrases Sue Mosey, president of Midtown Detroit Inc.: “Instead of figuring out how to extract money from the parking system…city planners should determine what kinds of rates and enforcement times make sense based on how long folks are likely to park.”
FULL STORY: Nancy Kaffer: How Detroit has it wrong on parking
New App Pays Users to Report Illegally Parked Cars
A Swedish company is leveraging the power of crowdsourcing and the gig economy to enforce parking laws.
Detroit To Build New Parking for Small Businesses
The city will invest $9 million in an initiative to build customer parking on city-owned lots to boost economic development.
Opinion: L.A. Parking Requirements Need Serious Revamp
Los Angeles has a parking problem—namely, too much of it—caused by minimum parking requirements.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning
SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.
The Tiny, Adorable $7,000 Car Turning Japan Onto EVs
The single seat Mibot charges from a regular plug as quickly as an iPad, and is about half the price of an average EV.
Engineers Gave America's Roads an Almost Failing Grade — Why Aren't We Fixing Them?
With over a trillion dollars spent on roads that are still falling apart, advocates propose a new “fix it first” philosophy.
The European Cities That Love E-Scooters — And Those That Don’t
Where they're working, where they're banned, and where they're just as annoying the tourists that use them.
Map: Where Senate Republicans Want to Sell Your Public Lands
For public land advocates, the Senate Republicans’ proposal to sell millions of acres of public land in the West is “the biggest fight of their careers.”
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.
Borough of Carlisle
Smith Gee Studio
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)