Sometimes, a hot new story will cross our desks that we need to talk about right away. That's where Upzoned comes in. Join Strong Towns President Chuck Marohn, Carlee Alm-LaBar, Norm Van Eeden Petersman, and other guests to talk in depth about one big story from the week in the Strong Towns conversation.
Episodes
24 hours ago
24 hours ago
45 min
What happens when something people have always treated as free suddenly gets a price tag? A USA Today article, “Shopping Malls Are Charging for Prime Parking. It’s Not Going Well,” looks at what happens when a long-standing free amenity suddenly has a visible cost. Carlee Alm-LaBar talks with Parking Reform Network founder Tony Jordan and developer Monte Anderson of Neighborhood Evolution about what changes when shoppers are asked to pay directly for that convenience. For owners, “free” parking has never actually been free: the lot still has to be paved, repaired, cleaned, secured, and eventually rebuilt, even when much of it sits empty. If the land is expensive to maintain, could it be doing something more useful?
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
- "Shopping malls are charging for prime parking. It's not going well" by Jessica Guynn, Usatoday.com (August 2026)
- Downzone:
- The Urban Climate Solution (Site)
- Civic Leader Summit (Site)
- Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill (Site)
- Carlee Alm-LaBar (LinkedIn)
- Tony Jordan (LinkedIn), Parking Reform Network (Site)
- Monte Anderson (LinkedIn), Options Real Estate (Site)
- Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.
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