[mlavrent]

There's a difference between parking mandates versus parking built at the developer's discretion. Parking mandates (what the article talks about) are onerous because they force the developer to build more parking they potentially would have otherwise (based on a rational assessment of the opportunity cost of the space parking uses vs. the benefit to their business).

I think few people would argue against allowing developers to build as much parking as they want - but I think many would be surprised to find that developers in urban areas don't generally want to build as much parking as is mandated by the zoning requirements, since they assess that many people don't arrive in cars, so the benefit parking provides is less than the cost of it.

[rurp]

The would expect developers to be driven mainly by the fact that constructing buildings for businesses and residences is much more profitable than building adequate parking. I'm not saying the current system is ideal, but leaving it up to developers, a group highly motivated by short term profits, will likely create as many problems as it solves.

[MarkSweep]

There are places I avoid going due to inadequate parking. I assume business would take that into account when deciding where to lease space. Why does the government have to be involved with this?

To answer my own question, I think the externalities of insufficient parking space is something government could address. Like by allowing much stricter enforcement of parking prohibitions. Or just outright not allowing street side parking. Like governments don’t typically provide free houses to people, why should they give free house to personal vehicles? Why should my take dollars go to pay for storage of other people’s personal al property?

[para_parolu]

Remember living in 110 app building with zero parking. Wasn’t fun.

[JumpCrisscross]

> Remember living in 110 app building with zero parking. Wasn’t fun.

Isn't the clear implication you shouldn't own a car?

[davidw]

So why did you live there instead of a place with a parking spot?

[smegger001]

Been there done that. with the added twist that all the parking lots were city owned and required a parking permit, of which there were a limited number, to get one of the limited number of permits you had to get on a waiting list by filing a form in person a city hall and then wait and hope someone let theirs lapse. eventually got a call about one after a few years when already planing to move. in the mean time had to park on the street about four blocks away as anything closer was 2 hour parking.

Similar story with my home towns community college, where they had a habit of building new buildings on what used to be parking lots but refused for years to build new lots and when asked by the student counsel to build a parking structure the college president refused to consider it. I suspect if he hadn't had a had a reserved parking spot less the 30 yards from his office door his tune might have been different.

[mistrial9]

> developers in urban areas don't generally want to build as much parking as is mandated by the zoning requirements

if you stop right there, your statement is far more credible