2005-11-18

density&diversity: Hidden Cost of Parking

The U recently hosted this guy, Donald Shoup, the expert on how the business community is forced into subsidizing auto transport by adding parking for every new building. Parking has been a big issue with many of the developments throughout the TC. For example, the Grand & Victoria commerical strip has a parking lot in the back, and when Best Buy's new store EqLife wanted to move in, they needed to get a parking requirement exemption.

Shoup's arguement is that these sorts of requirements only encourage people to drive more, and are one more way in which our society subsidizes auto transit. He argues that cities should eliminate off-street parking requirements, and suggests that businesses ought to use parking revenues to improve streetscapes and sidewalks.

The only thing I know is that the multi-story parking lot inside the new condo at 26th and Nicollet is really ugly. Whenever I see a beautiful building filled with cars, I want to throw a brick through a window.

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