Lots of Parking: Land Use in a Car Culture (review)

John A. Jakle and Keith A. Sculle present an insightful analysis of perhaps the most obvious consequence of the age of automobility—the need for parking and, therefore, parking space. In a thought provoking fashion, the authors carefully outline the history of parking from its early days in the beginning of the twentieth century until today, and how this rather mundane necessity has transformed America's urban landscapes. The reader will enjoy the refreshing style in which the authors explore the economic, social, and political challenges of providing parking space to an ever-increasing armada of automobiles, and they will be surprised to learn just how much the question of parking is intertwined with a variety of facets of our urban lives.

In Part 1 (Chapters 1-3), the authors trace the evolution of a new urban geography based on the rising need for parking space. As Americans in growing numbers took to the road with their new automobiles, their destinations had to cope with an increasing demand for parking space or they might risk loosing their clientele. Parking became in many ways a modern convenience that had to be dealt with.Cities eventually regulated curbside parking and introduced parking meters; commercial and municipal parking lots and parking decks were constructed, all so that cities could remain functional. However, one of the negative effects of this parking mania was the erosion of inner cities as old buildings were demolished in order to create more parking spaces. Despite all the attempts to provide ample parking opportunities, many businesses began to leave America's downtowns to find more convenient space for their customers in the emerging shopping centers of suburbia.

Part 2 (Chapters 4-7) focuses on a variety of developmental strategies employed by city governments and the parking industry to make parking an integral part of America's cities. These strategies were first dominated by the open parking lot which provided much of the needed parking space but which also led to a substantial fragmentation of America's downtowns. Parking garages eventually entered the scene as an alternative as they offered more storage space and were better suited for energizing downtown development. Here, as in other parts of their book, the authors successfully use case studies (e.g.,Indianapolis) and a variety of illustrations to support their analysis. This is perhaps the section of Lots of Parking that urban geographers and planners might find most useful in their attempts to understand and address the problems of today's dysfunctional central business districts.

Part 3 (Chapters 8-9) is an attempt by the authors to cast their net a bit wider and to illustrate just how much parking has become a modern necessity and that it will remain a concern for our automobile society for many years to come. This section does not offer an in-depth analysis of all of its parts, but rather takes snapshots of parking situations beyond the traditional central business districts—at suburban shopping centers, health care facilities, schools, airports, museums, sports arenas, parks, industries, and so forth.

In conclusion, I highly recommend Lots of Parking for those interested in America's evolving urban landscapes. It is easily accessible, well researched and illustrated,and offers a comprehensive look at what has previously been published about parking. In addition, John Jakle and Keith Sculle raise a variety of challenging questions that emphasize our need to pay closer "attention to parking, its history, and its potential as a future organizer of American [urban] geography" (p. 233). Finally, Lots of Parking resembles an important contribution to the ongoing dialogue of urban geographers, planners, and others concerned with the well-being of our cities as can be seen by recent publications by Jonathan Barnett (2003) and Donald Shoup (2005).