Parking

Parking and mobility are important themes for cities and regions, especially for creating an attractive living environment. Erasmus Centre for Urban, Port and Transport Economics (UPT) provides high-quality scientific research as a basis for policy decision making.

Parking: a complex matter

Parking policy has to do with many factors that have a direct effect on residents, tourists, quality of life, living environment and more. Parking, for example, plays an important role in decisions about owning or using the car. In addition, parking takes up (a lot of) space and space is scarce in urban areas. Furthermore, parking requires a very expensive infrastructure. And for many local governments, parking fees are an important source of income.

Parking policy

Parking policy is a very complex matter for three main reasons:
1. There are many misunderstandings and dilemmas regarding parking policy. Some of these policy dilemmas contain conflicts of interest for policy makers, such as the trade-off between municipal income and traffic congestion in the city.
2. Parking usually falls under the traffic and transport department of the local government, while it affects many more areas (such as: environment, spatial planning, economic and social development, and finance). This means that very often the approach to parking is focused on traffic and transport, and policy is usually developed by people with a technical background.
3. Relatively little knowledge is available. The complexity of parking policy means that local policymakers must tackle a difficult theme.

Policy advice

The experts from Erasmus UPT help you to understand the complexity of parking and mobility and to find solutions and opportunities. They do this from a multidisciplinary perspective. Through applied research and deep knowledge of the practice, the specialists of Erasmus UPT offer evidence-based policy advice and solutions.