<html> <body> <x-tab>         </x-tab> "Parking Management Best Practices" (<a href="http://www.vtpi.org/PMBP_Flyer.pdf"> http://www.vtpi.org/PMBP_Flyer.pdf</a> ) is an important new book that will change the way you think about and solve parking problems. It describes more than two-dozen strategies that result in more efficient use of parking resources, and explains how to assemble them into an effective parking management program.   Parking management can provide huge savings and benefits. Cost-effective parking management programs typically reduce parking requirements by 20-40% compared with what conventional planning specifies. This provides numerous economic, social and environmental benefits. Parking management can reduce parking facility costs, increase housing affordability, reduce motor vehicle traffic, encourage use of alternative modes, support more compact and accessible land use patterns, create more livable communities, reduce impervious surface and stormwater management costs, and allow more flexible building design. Current planning practices tend to overlook and discourage parking management solutions even when they are most cost effective and beneficial overall. This book identifies problems with current parking planning practices, discusses parking costs and the savings that can result from improved management, describes specific parking management strategies and how they can be implemented, discusses methods for parking management planning and evaluation, and describes how to develop the optimal parking management program for a particular situation.   "Parking Management Best Practices" is written by VTPI Executive Director Todd Litman and published by Planners Press (<a href="http://www.planning.org">www.planning.org</a>). See the flyer at <a href="http://www.vtpi.org/PMBP_Flyer.pdf"> http://www.vtpi.org/PMBP_Flyer.pdf</a> for a substantial discount for orders made before February 28, 2006. For additional information see our free new report, "Parking Management: Strategies, Evaluation and Planning" (<a href="http://www.vtpi.org/park_man.pdf"> http://www.vtpi.org/park_man.pdf</a> ), which summarizes the ideas in "Parking Management Best Practices." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~     DEPAVING FOR PARADISE – Preface from "Parking Management Best Practices" Years ago, singer Joni Mitchell lamented that 'They’ve paved paradise and put up a parking lot.' The song resonates because there is much to dislike about parking facilities. They tend to be unattractive and displace more pleasant land uses. Yet, the same people who protest these costs often travel by automobile, and require parking at their destination. We dislike parking facilities until we need one, at which time we want it to be abundant, convenient and free. The tension between the high costs of parking facilities and our desire for them creates a conflict for individuals, businesses and communities.   This book attempts to reconcile this conflict. It describes a variety of management strategies that can increase the efficiency of parking activities and reduce the amount of parking required in a particular situation. This is a practical and effective way to save money and land, create more attractive communities, increase user convenience, and support various other planning objectives.   Most parking management strategies have modest individual impacts: a five percent reduction here, a ten percent reduction there, but together they can often reduce total parking requirements by a quarter, a third, or even more. This can represents the difference between a successful or unsuccessful development, an ugly or beautiful streetscape, a walkable or automobile-dependent community.   Our challenge is noble but formidable. There are often obstacles to the implementation of innovative parking management programs. So arm yourself before you proceed. Be sure that you are familiar with all possible parking management strategies. Identify and publicize benefits. Develop contingency plans. Treat your allies with kindness and your foes with respect. Ultimately you will succeed, because the strategies described in this book truly make the world a better place. Parking management helps create paradise. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ <x-sigsep></x-sigsep> Sincerely, Todd Alexander Litman Victoria Transport Policy Institute (<a href="http://www.vtpi.org" eudora="autourl">www.vtpi.org</a>) litman@vtpi.org Phone & Fax 250-360-1560 1250 Rudlin Street, Victoria, BC, V8V 3R7, CANADA “Efficiency - Equity - Clarity”   </body> </html>