Off-street parking policy surprises in Asian cities

This paper provides an international comparative perspective on non-residential, off-street parking policy in 14 large metropolitan areas in East, Southeast and South Asia. These are regions where parking challenges are widespread and acute. It utilises a new typology which groups parking policy approaches into ‘conventional’, ‘parking management’ and ‘market-oriented’ categories. Several distinct parking policy orientations are identified among the cities studied. Given their characteristics (most have relatively low car-ownership, high-density development and high usage of public transport) Asian cities might be expected to have off-street parking policies akin to those of many older areas in western cities. Yet, most of the Southeast and South Asian cities studied have parking policies that are surprisingly conventional and promoting of automobile-dependence. It is less surprising that a number of cities, mostly in East Asia, do not have such an auto-centric conventional approach. However, it is a surprise that their parking policies still involve minimum parking requirements and have generally not adopted the most common alternative to the conventional approach (parking management).

► Compares non-residential, off-street parking policy in 14 large Asian cities. ► Refines a typology of parking policy approaches, each with contrasting assumptions. ► Surprisingly, minimum parking requirements are used in all study cities. ► Parking policies in most Southeast and South Asian cities promote car-dependence. ► Parking policy in East Asia mostly more consistent with balanced transport systems.