NYC DOT’s Curb Enthusiasm Podcast Features Professor Donald Shoup, Author of the High Cost of Free Parking

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October 15, 2024
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NYC DOT's Curb Enthusiasm Podcast Features Professor Donald Shoup, Author of the High Cost of Free Parking

Shoup, a Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Urban Planning at UCLA, Discusses Parking Policy and Its Impact on Cities

Conversation Comes as NYC DOT Advances Its Curb Management Action Plan To Address the Dynamic Community Needs of Today and Better Prepare Streets for the Future

NEW YORK - New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez today announced the release of the second episode of the agency's Curb Enthusiasm podcast. The episode features Donald Shoup, the author of The High Cost of Free Parking and distinguished research professor in the Department of Urban Planning at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). The conversation focuses on Professor Shoup's lifetime of work studying parking policy.

"The Curb Enthusiasm podcast is about having a dialogue on the most consequential transportation and urban planning issues facing cities all over the world," said NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. "As an international leader in transportation, New York City DOT wants to provide a platform for experts and innovators in the field to discuss their work and how cities can exchange ideas and learn from one another. We were honored to host Professor Donald Shoup and hear about his research on parking policy."

The Curb Enthusiasm podcast focuses on issues at the local, national, and international level and features guests who discuss the most consequential transportation work happening all over the globe.

The episode is co-hosted by Emily Weidenhof, assistant commissioner of Public Realm at NYC DOT, and Diniece Mendes, director of the Office of Freight Mobility at NYC DOT.

Curb Enthusiasm is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Amazon Music, BuzzSprout and other major streaming platforms. More information is available at nyc.gov/CurbEnthusiasm.

About Donald Shoup

Donald Shoup is distinguished research professor in the Department of Urban Planning at UCLA. His research has focused on land economics, public finance, transportation, and parking.

In his 2005 book, The High Cost of Free Parking, Shoup recommended that cities should (1) charge fair market prices for curb parking, (2) spend the meter revenue to improve public services in the metered areas, and (3) remove off-street parking requirements. In his 2018 edited book, Parking and the City, Shoup and 45 other academic and practicing planners examined what happened where cities have adopted these policies. The successful outcomes show that parking reforms may be the easiest, cheapest, and fastest way to improve city life, protect the environment, and promote social justice.

Shoup is a fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners and an honorary professor at the Beijing Transportation Research Center. He has received the American Planning Association's National Excellence Award for a Planning Pioneer and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning's Distinguished Educator Award.

About Emily Weidenhof, Episode Co-Host

Emily Weidenhof is assistant commissioner of Public Realm at New York City DOT. Emily works closely with community organizations throughout the five boroughs to transform their streets as public space. For over a decade, she has focused on strengthening communities through the creation of plazas and shared streets and retooling the curb lane for innovative programming. She's also played an integral role in NYC DOT's Broadway Vision Plan, which employs a range of tools to reimagine the famed Manhattan corridor from Union Square to Columbus Circle, which now prioritizes pedestrians and cyclists. Emily has worked as an architect and urban designer in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York, including at the NYC Department of City Planning.

Emily received her bachelor's degree in architecture from Pennsylvania State University and her master's degree in architecture and urban design from Columbia University.

About Diniece Mendes, Episode Co-Host

Diniece Mendes is the freight mobility director for NYC's Department of Transportation. Diniece spearheads transformative programs rooted in Delivering New York and Delivering Green, enhancing the safety, efficiency, and resilience of New York City's supply chain to bolster urban livability and economic vitality. In addition to her role at DOT, Diniece serves on the Board of Governors for ASCE's Transportation and Development Institute, where she champions the engineering profession and promotes diversity in STEM careers, inspiring the next generation of changemakers.

Diniece received her master's degree in civil engineering with a specialization in transportation from University of Texas - Austin and her bachelor's degree in civil engineering from City College CUNY.

About NYC DOT's Curb Management Action Plan

Curb space is a dynamic and valuable asset that has evolved dramatically in recent years. An efficient, well-functioning curb lane is essential to the quality of life, health, safety, and economic vitality of New York City. The boom in e-commerce and food delivery, increases in for-hire vehicles and bike usage, the introduction of outdoor dining, and new concepts for waste containerization are rapidly reshaping how curbs are used and by whom. The New York City Department of Transportation's Curb Management Action Plan presents a path forward for NYC DOT to implement curb management strategies that address the dynamic community needs of today and better prepare us for the future.

The action plan lays out ten action items to maximize the city's curb space to serve the multiple and varied needs of New Yorkers, improving mobility, access, and the flow of people, goods, and services, while moving the city closer to achieving its sustainability goals.

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