Parking is an important, though often neglected, element of the urban transportation system.
It plays a key role in mode choice and travel behavior, consumes a large amount of urban and suburban land, and has significant direct and indirect impacts on the environment. Policies that establish amounts and costs of parking are usually made solely by local governments, but often have regional impacts. In addition, parking policies can conflict with other transportation policies that attempt to reduce congestion or increase the use of transit or ridesharing. This report reviews parking policies at both the regional and local government levels. Shared parking and flexible parking ordinances are described as ways to better coordinate parking demand and supply.