The War on Cars

RE-RELEASE: The High Cost of Free Parking with Donald Shoup

Feb 8, 2025

Urban planning expert Donald Shoup discusses the profound impact of parking policies on cities. He highlights how minimum parking requirements inflate housing costs and exacerbate urban sprawl. Shoup critiques the 'war on cars' narrative and advocates for reforming outdated parking mandates. He shares innovative approaches like parking benefit districts and tiered fine systems to promote fairness. The conversation reveals how transforming parking policy could ease congestion and enhance urban life, all while keeping the humor alive.

46:24

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Donald Shoup

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Quick takeaways

Minimum parking requirements create significant barriers to affordable housing and exacerbate urban sprawl, pollution, and congestion.

Donald Shoup's research advocates for data-driven approaches to parking policies, suggesting reforms could promote vibrant, sustainable urban environments.

Deep dives

The Impact of Parking Policies

Minimum parking requirements significantly influence urban planning and development. These requirements dictate how many parking spaces must be allocated for new buildings, affecting everything from housing prices to urban sprawl. For example, developers often must construct parking spaces even if demand is low, leading to higher housing costs, increased congestion, and exacerbating climate change issues. The discussion highlights how these policies create barriers to creating vibrant, pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods and emphasize the urgent need for reform.

Intro

2min

The Impact of Parking Policies on Urban Life

4min

Exploring the Complexities of Parking and Its Societal Impacts

2min

Reforming Urban Parking Policies

24min

The Economics of Free Parking

6min

Reforming Parking: A Tiered Approach to Fines

6min

Reforming Parking Policies for Better Car Management

2min

Donald Shoup, a towering figure in the world of urban planning and a distinguished professor emeritus at the UCLA Luskin School of Public affairs, died this week. He was 86 years old. As a tribute to such an influential, brilliant, and witty scholar, we are re-releasing this episode from 2023.

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Parking is at the heart of every fight about how we build our cities and towns, with effects that go far beyond transportation. Minimum parking requirements — laws that dictate how many parking spaces are required for various types of buildings and businesses — make housing more expensive, raise the price of goods and services and exacerbate sprawl, making congestion and the climate crisis much, much worse. Thankfully, a movement is afoot to end parking minimums, inspired by the work of Donald Shoup.

Shoup, the Distinguished Research Professor at UCLA’s Department of Urban Planning, is the author of the 2005 book The High Cost of Free Parking. It’s an invaluable resource for anyone who wants to understand the problems with parking. Professor Shoup — aka the Shoup Dogg — joins us for a spirited conversation about how to win what he calls “the war on parking subsidies.”

You can find the full transcript of this episode here.

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LINKS:

Learn all about Donald Shoup at ShoupDogg.com.

Read The High Cost of Free Parking.

Join The Parking Reform Network and end parking requirements where you live.

Donald Shoup gets animated on Adam Ruins Everything.

This episode was produced by Doug Gordon, edited by Ali Lemer, and recorded by Josh Wilcox of the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Transcripts are by Russell Gragg.

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