Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Parking Policy

Friday Video: We’re All Paying For ‘Free’ Parking, Whether Or Not We Drive

Parking mandates aren't the only reason why your city has so much asphalt. Check out the hidden reason why so many businesses build way more parking than they need.

Photo: Still from Urban 3.

Countless cities across America require developers to build a sea of car storage at every new building. But is that the only reason why we have so much excess asphalt, and all the sprawl, pollution, and problems that come with it?

Check out this deep dive from analytics firm Urban 3, where they break down one of the less-discussed reasons we're paving over so much of our country: how assessors tax lots — or don't — and how that "incentivizes cities to destroy their greatest assets and replace them with parking of little or no value."

And once you've watched it, you'll realize that every "free parking" sign you pass on the street isn't just misleading; it's an outright lie that masks how much we're all subsidizing driving.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Friday Video: The Problem With … ‘Friday Video’?!

The urbanism YouTube sphere is thriving — but who's getting the views?

August 22, 2025

Friday’s Headlines Reap What They Sow

Turns out, states that voted for the "Leopards Eating People's Faces Party" are getting their faces eaten by leopards.

August 22, 2025

Californians Continue to Love High-Speed Rail, Even if Republicans in Washington D.C. Don’t

High Speed Rail has only become a partisan in recent years. But under Trump, it's become hyper-partisan.

August 21, 2025

Talking Headways Podcast: Designing and Delivering Bike Networks

NACTO's Ryan Russo on the transformation of street systems and managing space for people and deliveries.

August 21, 2025

Thursday’s Headlines Are Faster Than a Speeding Bullet Train

Amtrak lost a champion in Joe Biden just as new, more advanced trains are set to start running up and down the East Coast.

August 21, 2025
See all posts