Loved this short little documentary (~8 mins) on why regulations requiring free parking are a bane to society.

Key takeaways from this example in Auckland: There will always be too much parking because the parking capacity is designed for 15% peak scenarios, meaning 85% of the time there is way more than enough parking. Free parking requires lots of land, pushing development further out into the suburbs increasing commute times. Creates areas inhospitable to walking.

I can agree with all of these after living in Charlotte, NC vs. Vancouver, BC. Land is definitely the most valuable commodity in an urban area and in Vancouver, the lack of free and easy parking convinces me to use the bus in most any transportation scenario. In Charlotte, the abundance of free parking makes driving the right choice in 99% of all scenarios. At the 6′ mark, Vancouver gets a shoutout from a Kiwi for its lack of free parking.