University of California Transportation Center

Big universities are like small cities. They contain athletic facilities, concert halls, housing, hospitals, libraries, museums, offices, parking, restaurants, stores, theaters, and, of course, classrooms. Big universities also face urban transportation problems, and a few of them have pioneered several pricing reforms—such as offering fare-free public transit and charging market prices for parking—that have produced promising results. These results suggest that many universities and cities can adopt similar reforms to reduce congestion, clean the air, conserve energy, and improve urban life. I will focus here on how universities and cities can benefit from market prices for parking.