Let the Market Park It: New Solution to LA’s Parking Difficulties

In car-reliant Los Angeles, researchers have long bemoaned arbitrary parking guidelines. The solution could be in a more market-based approach, according to a new book of research edited by University of California, Los Angeles professor Donald Shoup.

In his tome, Parking and the City, Shoup lauds the success of LA Express Park, a plan launched in 2012 to bring dynamic pricing to paid public parking spots. By raising and lowering prices in line with demand to ensure parking is neither under or overutilized, the program has been a massive improvement over prior, single-price models, and has gone down smoothly with residents.