hr_1872 's review for:

Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World by Henry Grabar

4.75

informative reflective medium-paced

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I was cautious that I could be overwhelmed or bored with the information from this book, and that was the case in the beginning.

However, after sticking it out— this book exceeded my expectations! Well written, JAW-DROPPING facts, and reflective! 

By some estimates, there are as many as six parking spaces for every car, meaning that our national parking stock is never more than 17% occupied.

This was such a cool read about parking reform and history. Here are just a few topics that I enjoyed: 

• How parking kills rent affordability
• How metered parking can decrease traffic, how free/underpriced parking can cause it 
• How much parking is unused and unnecessary 
• How roads and asphalt increase  temperatures, worsen flooding, and pollute cities (from oil, grease, tire residue)  
• How parking minimums make it harder for businesses to comply/open
• How building layouts are shaped around parking lots and often an urban developer’s first thought when it comes to designing
• How to fix the parking problem