Document the human research behind demand-responsive parking pricing — Donald Shoup's foundational work and the SFMTA's SFpark pilot evaluation — and extract lessons for BetterSF transportation policy.

Synthesis of Donald Shoup's economic analysis of curb parking (The High Cost of Free Parking, APA Planners Press, 2005) with the SFMTA's official SFpark Pilot Project Evaluation (2014), which compared pilot-zone parking occupancy, rates, and vehicle miles cruised against control blocks. Shoup's framework targets 85% curb occupancy; SFpark adjusted meter prices monthly (up or down) to steer each block toward its target availability.

The SFpark evaluation confirmed Shoup's core theory: when prices reflect demand, parking availability improves without raising average costs. 42 per hour (~12%), while target occupancy was achieved more consistently — drivers found parking faster, reducing cruising that accounts for a large share of downtown congestion.

The pilot proved that pricing is a traffic-management tool, not just a revenue tool.

Key takeaways for BetterSF: (1) price curb space to maintain 80-85% occupancy rather than to maximize revenue; (2) adjust prices dynamically in small increments so the public experiences fair, predictable rules; (3) invest meter revenue visibly in street improvements, which SFpark did and which Shoup argues is essential for political sustainability; (4) treat parking availability data as public infrastructure — the sensors and open data behind SFpark enabled the evaluation and later academic reuse.