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The Economics of How Cities Move
Every other Thursday, from the editors of parkonomics.co
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Why we’re here
Somewhere in your city, a parking decision is being made right now. It will shape what the next apartment costs, whether the corner store makes it, and how long you sit in traffic on the way home. It will outlast the mayor who signs it, the transit plan next to it, and probably the car you drive today. And almost nobody will read the fine print. That is why we started Parkonomics. The three of us have run garages, built transit parking programs and designed the systems that collect the money. We have watched good cities make expensive bets on assumptions nobody checked. We would rather check them. We are not here to hand you answers. We are here to question the ones we have all inherited, out loud, with the numbers on the table. Read something that makes you rethink a rule you have followed for twenty years? Good. Disagree? Even better. Hit reply, forward it to the person who will argue with you, and let’s figure out together how our cities could move better. Andrew, Kevin and Frank
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Just Parked · New on Parkonomics
Deep Dive Reports
The Lane Always Fills
Every highway widening arrives with the same promise: this time, the traffic finally goes away. It never does, and two economists measured exactly why, with a precision that belongs on a plaque at every ribbon cutting. The concrete is new. The jam is vintage. Here is what it means for every garage, curb and parking minimum built on the fantasy of free-flowing roads.
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From the Vault
Something we published a while back that has aged suspiciously well.
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Outside the Lines
Somebody else’s parking story. Our unsolicited commentary.
USA Today · Your Local Costco, Saturday, 11 a.m.
Thunderdome, With Free Samples
In this corner: a minivan with a 48-pack of paper towels and nothing left to lose. In the other: a sedan that has been circling since the last Super Bowl. The prize: one spot, three rows from the door. USA Today says the Costco lot has turned into Survivor with cars, and the shopper videos were good enough for ABC News to put on air. Our take: Costco prices everything inside to the penny. The hot dog has been $1.50 since 1985. The one thing on the property it hands out free is the one thing everybody is fighting over. So you pay in laps. Economists call it cruising. You call it Saturday. The fix is not a parking fee, so put down the pitchfork. It is a lot that tells you where the open spots are, and a pickup lane for the guy who only came for the rotisserie chicken. Watch the carnage → | ||||||
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The Coda
A hidden gem, or a classic with the varnish scraped off.
Lawrence
Don’t Lose Sight (Acoustic)
Lawrence sounds like what it is: people who genuinely love making music together. Gracie’s voice blows the roof off the rafters, no question. But listen underneath and you find her brother Clyde at the keys, the quiet genius behind the band. Then watch how they share the stage. Every singer gets called out, every voice gets its moment, and nobody is treated like a backup singer. Strip one of their own songs down to acoustic and that generosity is all you hear. Play the Coda →Picked by Andrew
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