Legal Daily: Three Innovative Ideas Tackle the Challenges of Residential Parking Management

In recent years As China’s economic development continues to advance, the number of privately owned vehicles has steadily increased. However, due to historical planning and other factors, parking shortages have become particularly acute in certain old urban districts and central city areas. The difficulty of finding parking in residential neighborhoods has thus emerged as a pressing issue in contemporary social governance.
A reporter from the Legal Daily recently interviewed several experts in the field of traffic management. They shared three insightful ideas: adjusting parking‑space pricing by refining the mechanism for balancing interests to ease parking shortages; building a smart parking system to ensure orderly and standardized parking management; and, tailored to local conditions, tapping into the existing parking resources within residential communities.

Improve the mechanism for balancing interests.
Chen Liuqin, Executive Director of the China Urban Economy Society and Founder and Chairman of Qindian Think Tank, believes that… Given that parking supply cannot be expanded, alleviating the shortage of parking spaces requires curbing demand and adjusting parking prices through a mechanism that balances competing interests.
“The underlying principle is that when a small number of individuals occupy parking spaces, they are appropriating a scarce resource that belongs to the community; therefore, they should pay a fee to balance the collective interests of all property owners. Parking‑space pricing is determined by taking into account supply and demand, as well as various factors such as the management and maintenance costs necessary for property administration. Ultimately, the equilibrium price should help alleviate the tightness of parking‑space demand,” said Chen Liuqin.
He further explained that A balance of interests can be achieved by auctioning parking‑space usage rights to alleviate parking shortages, with the proceeds returned to and used for the benefit of the community. The allocation of parking‑fee revenues should reflect the principle of compensating the interests of all property owners.
“Property management companies are fully responsible for vehicle management within the residential community, with duties that include providing parking spaces, regulating vehicle parking, and maintaining parking‑lot and garage facilities. The fees they collect are used to fulfill the obligations agreed upon by both parties. Once owners select these services and pay the corresponding fees, they are entitled to the agreed‑upon scope of services,” said Chen Liuqin. He added that, in addressing issues related to parking services, the spirit of contract should be fully upheld.
In response to the recent influx of external vehicles into certain residential communities, Regarding the issue of “free-riding” on parking spaces, Tao Pinzhu, an associate researcher at the Institute of Law of the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, suggests that this practice could be curbed by adopting two distinct pricing schemes—temporary fees and fixed fees—and by increasing the level of temporary charges as a preventive measure.
Building a Smart Parking System
Chen Liuqin believes that , it is advisable to develop a smart parking system and leverage its intelligent tolling mechanism and time‑shifted parking features to address the issue.
In his view Although smart parking cannot increase the supply of parking spaces, it can provide technical support through standardized management and staggered‑peak parking. For example, an intelligent tolling system can implement differentiated pricing based on vehicle type, time of day, and other factors, while controlling access to residential communities and managing associated fees, thereby enhancing the efficient utilization of parking resources.
Xia Xuemin, a visiting researcher at the Institute of Public Policy of Zhejiang University, also suggests that… Across the country, the “tidal parking” model should be vigorously implemented, and efforts should be accelerated to build a unified national “Internet Plus Smart Parking Information Platform,” encompassing all types of parking resources within each jurisdiction for real-time, dynamic management, thereby helping to smooth out peak‑and‑valley demand.
Xia Xuemin cited an example, saying… During the day, once residents have left for work, vacant parking spaces become available in residential‑area parking lots. These spare spots can be made accessible to employees of nearby businesses, allowing them to use them during designated time periods. Similarly, internal parking facilities at various organizations may have empty spaces in the evening; such unused spots should be opened to local residents for nighttime parking. In addition, during the late‑night hours, portions of non‑main thoroughfares can be temporarily converted into parking areas for public use.
Deeply tap into parking resources.
In addressing the challenge of parking in residential communities, Chen Liuqin and Tao Pinzhu also put forward a suggestion: to conduct an in-depth exploration of parking resources within the residential community and its surrounding areas.
Chen Liuqin told the reporter. Relevant government departments, residents’ committees, property management companies, and owners’ self-governance organizations should collaborate closely and work in concert to address the shortage of parking spaces. On the premise of fully respecting owners’ rights and extensively soliciting their views, they may, according to local conditions, tap into the existing parking resources within residential communities.
“Under the guidance of the planning authorities, we will transform green spaces, demolish illegal structures, and repurpose idle land to build parking lots or multi‑level parking garages; while ensuring that fire‑access routes remain unobstructed, we will rationally allocate parking spaces along community roads; and, without disrupting normal traffic flow, with approval from the traffic management department, we will designate temporary or time‑limited parking spots on nearby secondary arterial roads, side streets, back alleys, and between buildings,” said Chen Liuqin.
Tao Pinzhu suggests It is feasible to explore the use of public road space to supplement on‑street parking in residential neighborhoods. Given that parking spaces within these communities are typically in short supply after work hours, and that nighttime parking on public roads generally does not lead to traffic congestion, it may be advisable to implement a coordinated, multi‑use approach to the public road resources surrounding these neighborhoods.
“We should further strengthen public awareness of co-ownership rights, improve the legal framework for exercising those rights, and bolster residents’ sense of self-governance. To a certain extent, this can help prevent disputes between property management companies and homeowners over parking spaces and ensure that parking‑related issues in residential communities are resolved fairly and impartially,” said Chen Liuqin.