WHY IS
RENT HIGH?Take action
Peer reviewed1997United States

The High Cost of Free Parking

Shoup

Main finding

Minimum parking mandates bundle costly car storage into housing and development, regardless of what residents actually want.

Most important limitation

Foundational analysis rather than a single causal policy evaluation.

From the publication

Inspect the authors' figure directly

Study chart · redrawn

Figure 1 · Parking generation by non-convention hotels

The published relationship is weak: the four observations scatter widely around the fitted line.

REDRAWN FROM STUDY DATAFigure 1 · Parking generation by non-convention hotels
Figure 1 · Parking generation by non-convention hotelsThe published relationship is weak: the four observations scatter widely around the fitted line. Four plotted observations digitized from Figure 1; fitted line uses the printed equation P = 0.33X + 36 (R² = 0.089).507090110130Peak occupied parking spacesHotel rooms100150200250Printed fitted line

Source: Shoup (1997), Figure 1; PDF p. 3.

Read carefully: The figure itself warns that the sample is small and the fit is weak (R² = 0.089). It illustrates a measurement problem rather than a causal estimate.

Study chart · redrawn

Figure 2 · Cost per net parking space added at UCLA

Later UCLA garages commonly cost about $19,000–$26,000 per net added space in 1994 dollars.

REDRAWN FROM STUDY DATAFigure 2 · Cost per net parking space added at UCLA
Figure 2 · Cost per net parking space added at UCLALater UCLA garages commonly cost about $19,000–$26,000 per net added space in 1994 dollars. Values reconstructed from quantities reported by the authors at Figure 2; values are printed above each bar in constant 1994 dollars.05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,000Cost per parking space added (1994 $)Year structure was builtUCLA parking structures1961196319641966196719691977198019831990 A1990 B1991

Source: Shoup (1997), Figure 2; PDF p. 5.

Read carefully: These are construction costs for twelve UCLA parking structures, not a direct estimate of how much a parking mandate raises rent.

How this study is used

Claims this evidence supports

Established evidenceFree parking is paid for through everything else.See the full evidence stack →

Policy connection

Solution guides informed by this study

03Let homeowners add a home04Stop forcing every home to buy parking

Reference

Shoup (1997). “The High Cost of Free Parking.”

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