by Jennifer Hattam, Istanbul, Turkey on 01.23.11
TreeHugger - Cars & Transportation

Paris is one of the European cities working to restrict parking. Photo: mikefats / Creative Commons.
What needs to be done to get more people out of their cars? Offer incentives for taking public transportation? Make driving more expensive? It's a question that's being asked in congested metropolises around the world. But many European cities have found the answer to be fairly simple: make it harder (and/or costlier) to park.
According to a new study by the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, innovative parking policies in Europe are allowing cities to enjoy "revitalized town centers, big reductions in car use, drops in air pollution, and rising quality of urban life."
The report, "Europe's Parking U-Turn: From Accommodation to Regulation," details a number of key, interrelated strategies implemented in 10 European cities over the last half-century, including the following: