Shhh!... Legislature's $371 Subsidy Undermines Central Cities
From:
Paul Gleeson
Date:
May 01 19:11 UTC
Short link
I admit to not reading the book that Matty recommends and Bob has referred to
in this forum.
It has been used to argue against subsidized off-street (and cheap on-street)
parking. Here's a quote (that I really like) from the review that Matty links:
"Excessive parking is one reason American cities are charmless compared to
European cities. Americans require parking and limit density, while Europeans
require density and limit parking, Shoup explains."
And, of course........of three suggestions: "The first is to remove
requirements for off-street parking, which is often overbuilt and
underutilized."
This kind of vision fits more with my idea of what a real city is like.....but,
I doubt if any St. Paul neighborhood is going to ask to be the first to try
such a plan. Or, am I dead wrong about this?
Paul Gleeson
St. Paul
-------------- Original message --------------
From: "Matty Lang" <>
> "Free" parking, indeed. I recommend a book by Donald Shoup, professor of
urban
> planning at University of California, Los Angeles. Shoup also holds a
doctorate
> in economics from Yale. The High Cost of Free Parking reveals the level at
> which auto parking is subsidized in the United States and reveals the
resulting
> negative consequences to communities.
>
> From a review of the book:
>
> "Drivers currently park free on 99 percent of their trips and their cars are
> parked 95 percent of the time. But free parking isnt really free. Shoup, an
> urban economist and professor of urban planning at UCLA, estimates that in
2002
> between $127 and $374 billion a year was spent nationally to subsidize
> off-street parkingas much as the U.S. spent on Medicare or national defense
> that year."
>
> http://www.its.berkeley.edu/itsreview/summer2005/freeparking.html
>
> A $200 million parking subsidy at the Mall of Your Momica is in no way good
for
> the cities of St. Paul, Minneapolis or Bloomington. Instead we should be
> investing these monies into public infrastructure (like transit) that will
allow
> for strong local economies to blossom throughout the region. We would receive
> far greater economic impact from having many, smaller and locally owned
> businesses in comparison to the large multi-national corporate model that our
> Mall in Bloomington represents.
>
> Thanks to Bob Spaulding for posting on this important topic.
>
> Matty Lang,
> Midtown Phillips, Minneapolis
>
> Matty Lang
> Midtown Phillips, Minneapolis
> Info about Matty Lang: http://forums.e-democracy.org/contacts/mattylang
>
> This topic's messages may be viewed at:
> http://forums.e-democracy.org/r/topic/2NNeELWpOs8L0JltEUfvKD
> -----------------------------------------
> To post, send your message to:
> To leave or for daily digest, type "unsubscribe" or "digest on,"
> in subject line and send to:
>
> More info about St. Paul Issues Forum:
> http://forums.e-democracy.org/groups/stpaul-issues
>
> E-Democracy.Org rules: http://e-democracy.org/rules
> -----------------------------------------
> Technical assistance thanks to our friends at http://OnlineGroups.Net
>
> Citizens Guide to St. Paul
> http://e-democracy.org/wiki/Citizens_Guide_to_St._Paul
>
> Questions about rules violations? Send complaints and items for investigation
> to: