Today, Explained

Parking is a lot

May 19, 2023

Henry Grabar, a reporter at Slate and author of "Paved Paradise," dives into the overlooked impact of parking on urban landscapes. He discusses how excessive parking mandates shape city design, hinder community projects, and contribute to pollution. Grabar shares the ideas of urban planner Donald Shoup, advocating for smarter parking policies that cater to communities rather than cars. The conversation also touches on the promise of electric vehicles, suggesting they could revolutionize how we think about urban parking in the future.

25:11

Episode guests

Henry Grabar

Highlights

AI Chapters

Episode notes

The Shupistas: A Movement for Parking Reform

01:30

Rethinking Parking and Charging for Electric Cars

01:08

The Role of Parking in American Driving Culture

01:47

Intro

2min

Parking Predicaments: Urban Planning Challenges

9min

Innovative Solutions for Urban Parking Challenges

2min

Rethinking Parking for the Future

10min

The Impact of Parking on Urban Life

2min

In our quest to accommodate parked cars, we’ve paved over downtowns, polluted the planet, and made it near impossible to get anywhere without driving. Slate’s Henry Grabar explains Big Parking — and how electric cars might offer an opportunity to finally try something new.

This episode was produced by Miles Bryan, edited by Matt Collette, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by Michael Raphael, and hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained

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