Free on-street parking costs cities in lost land and additional traffic, cities could realize huge benefits if they value their curbs, Henry Garbar argues in Slate.

Cities are giving away a lot of free space. "Worth billions but given away for free, the curb is arguably the single most misused asset in the American city—and one that, more than any giant investment in apps, sensors, or screens, can determine the future of transportation," Henry Grabar writes in Slate.
Still curb pricing is a foreign concept to many with control over the costs of parking. "Few mayors could even tell you how much curb space a city has or what it’s worth, though they do seem to recognize that a free parking pass can function as a powerful, Tammany Hall–style perk for favored groups," Grabar writes.
Free on-street parking incentivizes driving and causes congestion, Grabar contends, and there's a lot of other work that space could be doing. "It can also provide desperately needed commercial space on high-rent streets, as fleets of food trucks demonstrate in cities like Washington. Or it can be repurposed to absorb and slow stormwater in flood-prone areas," according to Grabar.
FULL STORY: Give the Curb Your Enthusiasm

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Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie