On the disconnect between planning and policy

Planning and policy must complement each other. Urban planning, including parking standards, loses its meaning if it is not supported by government policy. If the policy, or lack of it, encourages people to drive in circles searching desperately for free or cheap parking on the street to avoid more expensive parking lots, it is no surprise that we end up with the paradoxical combination of a sense of congestion and parking distress on the street, while parking lots remain half-empty. If the policy allows residents to park for free on the street without restrictions on the number of vehicles they can park, changes to parking standards, plans, and building permits will not be effective. This is because, often, street parking is more convenient, at least for those who return home early, and thus, even in residential neighbourhoods, we sometimes see the phenomenon of illegal parking on sidewalks while residential parking lots remain underutilized.