Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In

"Minimum parking requirements act like a fertility drug for cars," Donald Shoup wrote in his celebrated investigation of parking economics, The High Cost of Free Parking. The above video, from the city of Ottawa, does a good job explaining exactly why that is and the problems it causes.

Ottawa commissioned the animation to explain why its 1960s-era parking regulations need rethinking if the city is going to be a walkable place. But the same principles apply to cities everywhere.

Hat tip: City Obseratory

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Friday Video: How ‘Car Brain’ Warps the Way We See the World

How can we fix the brains distorted by car culture?

January 16, 2026

Friday’s Headlines Are the Best

People for Bikes named its top bike lane projects of the past year.

January 16, 2026

Talking Headways Podcast: The Lost Subways of North America

Author Jake Berman discusses transit histories through the lens of racial dynamics, monopolies, ballot measures and overlooked cities.

January 15, 2026

A ‘Demographic Time Bomb’ Is About To Go Off — And the Transportation Sector Isn’t Ready

A top firm is warning that the "silver tsunami" will have big implications for the climate, unless U.S. communities act fast.

January 15, 2026

Thursday’s Headlines Shoot for the Moon

What if the U.S. spent anything near what it spends on highways on transit instead?

January 15, 2026
See all posts