A single character can often mark a shift in underlying philosophy.
Faced with the urban malaise of parking shortages, more government officials are now speaking of “mitigation” rather than the original “solution.”
In the short term, the difficulty of finding parking cannot be completely resolved.
This is due to structural challenges.
Take Nanjing as an example: on the one hand, the city’s motor vehicle stock is growing at an annual rate of over 200,000 vehicles; on the other, rapid urban development is steadily encroaching on public space. Relying solely on adding new parking spaces, promoting shared‑use initiatives, and advancing technological innovation will yield only limited additional capacity—and still fall far short of meeting the needs of a rapidly expanding car‑owning population.
Precisely because it recognized this, Nanjing has begun to implement a “subtraction” strategy alongside its efforts to increase parking spaces.
What are you cutting?
First, reduce road congestion.
In 2014, Nanjing entered an era of “high‑cost illegal parking,” with fines of 100 yuan and a three‑point deduction on drivers’ licenses prompting many car owners to think twice before heading out: “What if there’s nowhere to park?”
Xinjiekou sees the highest traffic volume, so parking demand is being managed through price incentives. Yet experts argue that a 24-hour rate of just over 200 yuan is still insufficient and should be raised further.
Nanjing has introduced a differentiated parking‑fee policy—“eight high, eight low”—to encourage drivers to bypass the congested city center.
Further reduce parking expectations.
Professor Gu Dasong of the School of Law at Southeast University served two terms as a member of the Nanjing Public Committee on Urban Governance. He has consistently maintained that no new parking facilities should be built in the Xinjiekou area.
Why?
With parking demand remaining unchanged, adding 10 parking spaces in a prime commercial district could attract as many as 100 additional vehicles—ultimately backfiring.
Dishonest behavior must also be penalized.
Shared parking spaces are a positive development, but dishonest behavior can turn a good thing into a bad one.
When renters of shared parking spaces fail to leave on time, they end up leaving the kind-hearted host with nowhere to park.
Establish a parking credit‑rating system: a single instance of overdue parking will result in the vehicle’s credit information being shared across the region, making future parking more cumbersome and encouraging people to move from “daring not to breach trust” to actually honoring their commitments.
In fact, the only way to fundamentally alleviate the parking shortage is to encourage more and more people to adopt green modes of transportation.
This poses another test for the city: whether its public transportation system is sufficiently well-developed.
Nanjing Metro carries 3.53 million passengers daily, thereby indirectly easing considerable pressure on surface transportation.
How can we further improve the well-developed public transportation system and extend it to every corner of the city?
This can’t be achieved simply by deploying a few shared bikes.
There is still much work for the city to do.
The latest statistics show that Nanjing’s on-street parking spaces account for only 2.5% of the total, placing it among the lowest levels among China’s megacities.
Behind the numbers lies the city’s sophisticated level of governance.
Roads are meant for traffic, and Nanjing does not grant unlimited parking rights on its streets.
This is also the secret behind Nanjing’s ability to reduce its congestion index despite the continued growth in the number of vehicles.
A small car—yet it touches on the big issues of urban life and people’s livelihoods.
Alleviating the parking shortage means not only providing drivers with a place to park, but also enabling people to travel with peace of mind—no longer having to争得面红耳赤 over a single parking space, nor resorting to enlisting the entire family and rushing home early from work.
No matter when you head out, you can arrive comfortably and on time anywhere in the city.
This is the beautiful life that people aspire to.
