Is parking supply related to turnover of shopping areas? The case of the Netherlands

In the retail sector the dogma “no parking, no business” is often used to describe the importance of parking for the performance of shopping areas. Accordingly there is a growing pressure on planners to increase parking capacity and/or reduce parking tariffs in and around shopping areas. This paper contains a cross-sectional data analysis regarding parking and other characteristics of 80 shopping areas in the Netherlands. A loglinear regression analysis is used to infer a relationship between parking – mainly in terms of quantity and price – and the turnover of shopping areas. It is found that there is a positive significant relationship between parking tariffs and turnover and that in general there is no statistical relationship between parking capacity and turnover with exception of regional shopping areas. The implications for policy are discussed.