Legendary Parking Guru Donald Shoup Dies at 86

UCLA professor emeritus and world-renowned parking reform advocate Donald Shoup died last Friday, prompting a wave of tributes from fans, colleagues, and former students.

Known for his seminal book The High Cost of Free Parking, Shoup demonstrated for the first time “how urban parking policies — i.e. low-cost or "free" parking and mandatory parking requirements, were damaging cities economically and culturally,” according to a Streetsblog NYC article by Gersh Kuntzman.

Streetsblog California’s Damien Newton and Melanie Curry explained his legacy, writing, “His message was simple, although at first few wanted to hear it. ‘Parking is free for us only in our role as motorist — not in our roles as taxpayer, employer, commuter, shopper, renter, as a homeowner,’ he pointed out. ‘The cost of parking does not cease to exist just because the motorist doesn't pay for it.’”

Donald Shoup was an exuberant advocate for better cities and a joy to work with. He was a Planetizen Courses instructor and an occasional contributor to Planetizen. Just months ago, he was actively working on a proposal for a pay-on-exit policy to fund sidewalk repairs in Los Angeles.

Shoup’s work on Planetizen:

• The City of Broken Sidewalks
• Want to Reduce Traffic Congestion? Cash Out Employer-Paid Parking
• Updated: The Perils of Central Planning for Parking
• Answers to 12 Questions About California Assembly Bill 1401
• The Perils of Central Planning for Parking