Did you know? The amount of public subsidies given to free parking far outweighs federal funding for the National Park Service.
In a sendup of America’s parking obsession in Streetsblog, Kea Wilson invites the reader to visit one of America’s “internationally infamous” parking lots through a series of posters designed to look like vintage National Park Service posters.
“Fun fact: the National Park Service only gets about $3.6 billion a year from the federal government, while free parking alone draws between $102 and $374 billion in public subsidies annually, depending on how you calculate it.”
“Residents of St. Louis, for instance, can take a sweet staycation on 105 acres of lots in the downtown core alone, according to a recent analysis from the Parking Reform Network.” In Arlington, Texas, a whopping 42 percent of downtown land is dedicated to parking.
Not interested in touring your local parking lots? Well, Wilson notes, “you could visit an actual National Park … but you’d probably still have to drive.”
FULL STORY: Visit Your Nearest National Park(ing Lot) Today!
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Parking shapes every element of the urban environment, often to the detriment of a place. Why do we subsidize public parking as a public good, and how can we move forward?
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City officials want to encourage the redevelopment of underused surface parking lots.
National Parks Layoffs Will Cause Communities to Lose Billions
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Balancing Bombs and Butterflies: How the National Guard Protects a Rare Species
The National Guard at Fort Indiantown Gap uses GIS technology and land management strategies to balance military training with conservation efforts, ensuring the survival of the rare eastern regal fritillary butterfly.
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