Phoenix's minimum parking requirements were well-intentioned: build so much parking that it's never difficult to find a parking space. Unfortunately, forcing business owners to bear the costs of providing more parking than they would of their own accord causes them to raise their prices, and this source of inefficiency creates unemployment in the city as people do more of their shopping online.

Further, all the excess parking contributes to the urban heat island effect, raising temperatures in Phoenix above their natural levels.

After dark, these parking lots turn into dead zones and attract crime. Even during the daytime, parking lots are just plain ugly, and they reduce walkability by increasing distances between buildings.

And even after all that, it's still difficult to find an open space at a mall during the holiday season. Minimum parking requirements just don't work very well, despite their good intentions.

So let's reduce or eliminate these antiquated, overbearing requirements, and in order to prevent parking shortages and overpriced parking, let's switch from the old-fashioned single price meters to meters that price parking according to demand. The price should always be set just high enough to keep a parking space or two open on every block at all times, but no higher. This will always make it easy to find parking without ever paying too much. This will keep a steady stream of customers visiting area businesses, and it will facilitate a more efficient use of land by allowing some existing parking lots to be replaced with parks or buildings, creating a more vibrant, active community. The revenue from the parking meters should be invested in the community where the meters are put in.

Is Phoenix ready to apply free market principles to parking, or are we content to stick with the dictatorship model and all of its shortcomings?