Let’s Put a Cap on Parking

By Joe Baur

I can already hear the blowback echoing throughout corners of the ‘burbs. “Less parking!? We need MORE parking!!!”

No. No, we don’t.

Think for a moment when cities were at their most populous and powerful. There wasn’t any parking to speak of. People walked to work or took a streetcar. There was density, and with density came vibrancy. Cleveland was by all accounts a major city as the sixth most populous in the country. Proud as we are, it’s hard to argue major city status after dropping to 47th most populous in 2010, even if cities like Indianapolis, Phoenix and Columbus skew such rankings with their monstrously wide city-limits.

Yes, there are countless reasons for Cleveland’s downfall that have nothing to do with parking. Still, I can’t help but notice that the more parking garages and surface lots we’ve built, the faster people have fled to other metropolises over time. Yet despite the fact that we have far more parking available than we did in the city’s prime, motorists from the suburbs continue to insist we need even more parking.

(Funny these tend to be the same people who call Cleveland a ghost town, but I digress…)

The problem seems to stem from basing planning decisions off anecdotal evidence. That is to say, Harry VonDriver (clever, eh?) drove downtown one day and couldn’t find a parking spot. Therefore, Cleveland needs more parking. The same logic is used to refute other very real problems, like global warming. “It’s cold today. Therefore, there is no global warming.”

But of course we know that’s not true. An inability to find parking is actually a good thing for a city. It means people are actually visiting and living downtown. Vibrancy! It’s the buzzword everyone’s talking about. And we actually have those nights in downtown Cleveland. Despite what the WTAM and Cleveland.com crowd have to say about the city, it’s actually pretty neat.

However, the parking issue isn’t dying down. As Cleveland continues to rebound, new throngs of drivers are coming out of the woodwork to demand their parking spot. If they’re taking the time to grace Cleveland with their presence, then she damn well better have a decent parking spot waiting for them! Catty-corner to their end destination, preferably.

On a side note, when did we become so entitled?

Here’s a solution to all of our parking problems. Let’s put a cap on it. Zurich has already proven it works.

From Atlantic Cities:

The essence of Zurich’s historic compromise of 1996 was that parking in the core of the city would be capped at the 1990 level, and that any new parking to be built would, on a one-to-one basis, replace the surface parking that blighted most squares in the city at the time. Today, almost all these squares are free of parking and have been converted to tranquil or convivial places for people to enjoy.

The rest of the article is well worth a read to better understand how lackadaisical American parking policy has been compared to cities that have managed to maintain their density, like Zurich.

Although a Greater Clevelander dropped in Zurich would most likely demand more parking, the city is more vibrant (our favorite word again) than ever before. People have replaced the congestion of cars, which makes for a healthier city to boot.

Those who truly value what the city has to offer will live in or closer to the city. Bottom line, a city cannot expect to thrive by basing planning decisions on whether or not Mr. VonDriver from the exurbs can find a parking spot whenever they want. I’m not suggesting we eliminate parking spots from the urban landscape entirely (pipedream). I’m merely saying we look at what’s working and apply it here. Zurich is often considered one of the most livable cities in the world. We can use a little more livability here in Cleveland.

Joe Baur is a freelance writer, filmmaker and satirist with a diverse array of interests including travel, adventure, craft beer, health, urban issues, culture and politics. He ranks his allegiances in the order of Cleveland, the state of Ohio and the Rust Belt, and enjoys a fried egg on a variety of meats. Joe has a B.A. in Mass Communication with a focus on production from Miami University. Follow him at http://JoeBaur.com and on Twitter @MildlyRelevant.

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