Consider the expansive parking lots that surround buildings and the curbside parking spots that line many city and suburban streets. One study estimated that there are 3.4 parking spots per vehicle in the U.S. What could that space be used for instead? In this essay, researcher Henry Grabar examines the environmental, economic, and social costs of free or cheap parking in U.S. cities and communities.
- Grabar argues that eliminating parking mandates—rules within building codes that require a certain number of parking spaces per building—could make housing more affordable and encourage people to drive less. Pick one of these claims and summarize it in your own words. What is one piece of evidence Grabar uses to support this claim?
- In paragraph 18, Grabar lists many of the stakeholders in the conversation about parking reform. Pick one of these stakeholders: environmentalists, affordable housing activists, business owners, architects, developers, cyclists, or pedestrians. Explain in a few sentences why they care about this issue. You can use a “so what?” or “who cares?” template from the textbook to frame your response.
- Grabar uses clear voice markers in his essay to identify who is saying what. For example, he uses the label “reformers” in paragraph 6 to introduce arguments made by people who want cities to revise their parking policies. Find another place where Grabar uses a label like this in his essay. How accurate do you think this label is? By using this label, who is Grabar bringing into the conversation?
- There are many ways cities are reforming how people park: adding curbside meters, raising meter prices based on parking demand, prohibiting overnight parking at the curb, congestion pricing, turning curbside parking into bike lanes. Consider the parking situation in your hometown or on your campus. Pick one of these proposed reforms, and explain how it might work in your hometown or on your campus. What problems could it solve? What problems might it create?
I like this idea because it is helping both people and the environment. It also creates more affordable housing, and people can walk around better. This will drive more people to live there, for walking can be a form of transportation.
Posted by: Caroline E Henderson | 10/16/2024 at 12:07 PM
I like the ideas that are being proposed in this article, but for some people, these solutions aren’t feasible for everyday use. Innovative solutions to transportation issues are proposed often, but for them to work, they must be practical. For many college students in particular, parking is a significant concern for them. On campuses where there is a lack of accessible parking, there can be added unnecessary stress, which can lead to discouragement in students from going to class if they know they will have trouble parking and knowing they will need to spend a few extra minutes doing so. A thought-out plan to attack this problem is needed to have the problem be effectively solved, and without this, the frustration students endure while searching for a spot could lower their chance of commuting to school.
Alongside coming up with a plan for parking, a major problem urban areas are facing is congestion and traffic that was never comparable to how it is now. Things like congestion pricing, where vehicles are charged when entering certain areas during peak hours can reduce traffic significantly, but there would need to be exceptions. For example, low-income people, first responders, or delivery drivers would need a system where they receive either no tolls or a discounted rate to make their commute more accessible. Ultimately, there are many solutions that can solve the problems occurring right now with parking and traffic, but they must be innovative and practical. For these plans to work, they need to be accessible, and equitable, so that everyone has fair and equal opportunities presented to them.
Posted by: Kyle H. | 12/10/2024 at 02:30 PM