There are at least a billion parking spaces in the US, an expanse of asphalt that would cover an area twice the size of Connecticut. And yet, finding a good place to park — preferably free, and within a few feet of your destination — can still feel like an impossible quest. Available spots always seem to be too expensive, inconvenient or insufficient (and sometimes all three).
In his new book, Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World , journalist Henry Grabar argues that such perceptions are wrong. With examples ranging from canceled Southern California housing projects to the travails of a New York City parking attendant to the infamous deal that handed Morgan Stanley control over Chicago’s parking meters, Grabar hammers away at his core message: Living in the US would be cheaper, healthier and simply more fun if we fixed our parking policies.
