Parking guru Donald Shoup writes in the current issue of Access magazine that parking is a "good servant but a poor master" meaning that parking should be friendly but not subsidized.
Retired UCLA economist Donald Shoup has written extensively on the subject of parking and its impact on land use planning and transportation. Angie Schmitt nicely summarizes Shoup's article, originally printed in Access magazine (which is available online in PDF format):
The average construction cost of structured parking, across 12 American cities, is $24,000 for an above-ground space and $34,000 for an underground space. (Surface parking spaces are cheaper, but keep in mind those prices don’t include the cost of purchasing land.) Those costs get bundled into the price of everything, driving up the cost of living even for people who don’t own cars.
Read the full story: Cutting the Cost of Parking Requirements
Houston Habitat for Humanity builds modular homes in one-third the construction time of traditional houses
The nonprofit known for facilitating affordable homeownership is working to cut costs as traditional construction becomes more expensive.
Green Bay set to transform downtown parking lot into 168 housing units
The 2.5-acre property is scheduled to be fully open for business by 2031.
Chicago eliminates parking requirements near transit
In 2025, Illinois barred cities from mandating parking near train and bus stations.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
US buildings threatened, destroyed by fires set to triple by 2060
Researchers found a high fire risk for socioeconomically vulnerable neighborhoods in the American West.
LA residents may be allowed to paint their own crosswalks
Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky put out a motion instructing the Los Angeles Department of Public Transportation to study the feasibility of allowing volunteers to paint crosswalks.
Dallas moves to overhaul its zoning code
The city's zoning reform will allow more multi-family and mixed-use developments.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority