Parking has become a global challenge—how are other countries tackling it?

Today, the global automotive industry is booming, and with it comes the pressing issue of parking shortages. This challenge is not confined to China; major cities around the world face similar difficulties. The diverse strategies they have adopted to address parking problems may offer valuable insights for us.

Tokyo accounts for more than one-tenth of Japan’s total population and has over 4.5 million motor vehicles. Yet on its roads and in residential neighborhoods, illegal parking is rarely seen; even the narrowest alleyways remain unobstructed. This orderly scene is, of course, the result of a well‑enforced legal framework: since June 1962, the “Law Concerning the Securing of Parking Spaces for Automobiles,” commonly known as the Garage Law, has been in effect. The law mandates that vehicle owners must secure a designated parking space and prohibits using public roads as parking areas. When registering a vehicle, owners are required to demonstrate that a parking facility exists within a two‑kilometer straight-line radius of their residence—essentially providing proof of garage ownership. Even for single‑family homes with private yards, police conduct on‑site inspections to verify whether adequate parking space is available.

In Japan, if a real estate developer’s project lacks parking, it can be very difficult to sell. As a result, most residential complexes are equipped with underground or multi‑level parking facilities; some even have plenty of spare spaces, attracting outside vehicles in exchange for additional parking fees. Since the roads within a community are private property rather than public thoroughfares, residents can report vehicles parked in areas other than designated garages or parking spots to the nearby security booth. Typically, when unauthorized parking is spotted, the management will affix a warning note to the offending vehicle, stating that failure to move it will result in police involvement. If this still proves ineffective, they will call the authorities.

United States: Make Those Who Park Illegally Pay Big Fines

In U.S. cities, illegal parking is also a serious problem, particularly double-parking that blocks roadways. To tackle the severe congestion caused by this issue, some neighborhoods have introduced special parking permits: local residents can purchase these permits and affix them to their vehicles, allowing only them to park on designated streets. Even some shopping‑center parking lots have adopted a “no non‑customers allowed” policy, with tow‑truck operators keeping a constant watch; if they spot a driver who parks but fails to enter the mall, they immediately tow the vehicle and impose a $170 fine, plus an additional $40 per day, effectively hitting offenders hard financially.

Whenever heavy snowstorms strike, many cities impose strict parking restrictions to facilitate municipal snow removal; on roads with more than two inches of snow, parking is prohibited altogether. As a result, residents’ driveways and streets soon become cluttered with all sorts of items—torn shoes, cardboard boxes, plastic chairs, and even Christmas trees. These objects serve to “claim” parking spaces, because those who leave their cars parked along the curb overnight must expend considerable effort in the morning to dig them out from beneath the snowdrifts. They certainly don’t want to return home from work only to find that the painstakingly cleared parking spot has been snatched by someone else.

Singapore: Calculate Parking Spaces Before Building a Tower

Singapore imposes very strict regulations on parking facilities for buildings, many of which are mandatory requirements. For buildings with different uses, the required number of parking spaces is calculated using specific floor‑area formulas; rounding to the nearest whole number allows for an accurate determination of the minimum parking capacity. For example, if a shopping mall has a gross floor area of 2,010.89 square meters, the calculation would yield between 10.7 and 13.4 parking spaces, which rounds up to 11–13 spaces. In addition, there are corresponding building standards governing parking space dimensions and the provision of accessibility features; failure to meet these standards results in applicable penalties. Should a building later change its intended use, it must also ensure that an adequate number of parking spaces is provided to address parking needs.

The fundamental principle underlying the parking‑space‑provision guidelines is “each household takes care of its own,” ensuring that every building can, at a minimum, address its own parking needs. Of course, property owners may increase the number of parking spaces based on local conditions. In practice, parking spaces are mandatory; no residential unit is ever sold without them, and this holds especially true for high‑end developments. Even in public housing estates, where 80 percent of residents live, multi‑storey car parks are typically provided. Another core principle is to design parking facilities that are convenient and do not create obstacles; this is reflected in the varying space requirements for parking spaces at different angles, with detailed dimensional specifications for each type.