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Over Parked and Under Performing: Why Cities are Reconsidering the Rules that Govern Parking

Seemingly mundane parking regulations have profound and harmful impacts on city life.

The regulations that create an overabundance of free parking comes at a price of fostering lifeless streets, incentivizing car travel, exacerbating climate change, and contributing to the ever growing un-affordability challenges of our city. At the same time, finding an on-street parking spot in our densest and most active districts can be impossible. Failure to adequately manage demand for curb parking in our highest-visited areas creates congestion, frustration, and the perception of inadequate parking.

CNU-CTX is pleased to host Donald Shoup, UCLA Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Urban Planning.

Professor Shoup’s keynote will discuss how parking policies affect cities, the economy, and the environment; and provide his three-part prescription for how cities can improve their streets and places, protect the environment, and promote social justice.

Two other panels on parking reform will complete the program.

Join us for a look at cities around the country that have changed the rules that govern parking using the Shoup approach, and a local exploration into what parking reforms could do for Austin—and the way to get there.

Donald Shoup is Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Urban Planning at the University of California, Los Angeles. His research has focused on transportation, public finance, and land economics, with emphasis on how parking policies affect cities, the economy, and the environment. In his landmark 2005 book, The High Cost of Free Parking, Shoup recommended that cities should (1) charge fair market prices for on-street parking, (2) spend the revenue to improve public services in the metered neighborhoods, and (3) remove off-street parking requirements. In his 2018 book, Parking and the City, Shoup and his co-authors examined the results where cities have adopted these policies. The successful outcomes show this trio of reforms may be the simplest, cheapest, and fastest way to improve cities, protect the environment, and promote social justice.

This event will take place virtually on December 8th from 12 noon to 5 p.m. Tickets are available now and free for CNU Members and $30 for all others. CNU Memberships start at $60.00 per year and are free for students

Earlier Event: May 7
Janes Walk - The Road to Repair
Later Event: January 13
CNU-CTX Luncheon with