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

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

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

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

Study: How Urban Parks Can Support Biodiversity
Conservation and recreation can go hand in hand in urban green spaces designed to serve both humans and local wildlife.

High-Speed Rail Tracker
Smart Cities Dive follows high-speed rail developments around the country

Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series
The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.
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.
Clanton & Associates, Inc.
Jessamine County Fiscal Court
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service