{"id":4524,"date":"2013-07-26T09:50:29","date_gmt":"2013-07-26T13:50:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.myparkingsign.com\/blog\/?p=4524"},"modified":"2026-02-11T02:00:31","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T07:00:31","slug":"how-curb-territoriality-is-settled-in-the-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myparkingsign.com/blog\/how-curb-territoriality-is-settled-in-the-city\/","title":{"rendered":"How curb territoriality is settled in the animal world\u2014I mean\u2014the city"},"content":{"rendered":"

Finding a parking spot is difficult in any city. With alternate-side parking, too many cars, and the innate need for territory, being a car-owning newcomer to a city can feel like being a kitten in a jungle.<\/p>\n

And in some cities, it\u2019s getting worse: available parking is shrinking, law enforcement is cracking down, and population density is increasing. With\u00a0Washington D.C. hoping to eliminate minimum parking requirements<\/a> for areas in transit zones, there has been increased discussion about the longtime problem of curb territoriality. Namely, the staking of an on-street parking spot\u00a0in which legally, anyone can park. This generally happens on a residential street on which parking spaces are limited. This makes a newcomer or tourist feel very unwelcome, especially if a particularly aggressive resident decides to take action.<\/p>\n

\"NYC<\/a>

The only time New York City isn’t congested is at night and on holidays. Sometimes, not even then (photo by Darren Johnson<\/a>).<\/p><\/div>\n

Why finding city parking is harder than ever<\/h3>\n

Parking requirements have long been irksome<\/a> to cities and those investors hoping to build. Building a parking garage often cost more than it\u2019s worth; it encourages driving cars into the city, and can\u00a0aesthetically take\u00a0away from business<\/a>.\u00a0As Grist<\/a> blogger Alyse Nelson said, \u201cdevelopers must contend with building heights, setbacks for buildings, and parking regulations\u2014all of which make it harder to develop affordable housing projects.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Many urban areas are going green and trying to discourage car ownership. Cities have launched bike-share programs (the latest being in New York City and Chicago) and car-shares such as car2go<\/a> in Washington D.C. New buildings are doing away with parking all together\u2014a planned Miami\u00a0loft condo won\u2019t have a parking garage, but will have an auto-share hub, bicycle parking, and a station for the upcoming bike-share program.\u00a0 However, what does this mean for those urbanites who still want to own cars?<\/p>\n

Many car-owners feel that cities are giving them the short end of the stick.<\/p>\n

In areas in Brooklyn and Queens with outdated curb cuts, residents say that the population growth has made finding a parking spot extremely difficult due to the population increase and the fact that everyone seems to own a car.<\/p>\n

\"curb<\/a>

In residential areas like this one, many feel that the parking spots belong to them alone (photo by Elvert Barnes<\/a>).<\/p><\/div>\n

Locals react by “stealing” parking spots<\/h3>\n

Some NYC residents will go so far to secure a good parking space that they will paint the curb a\u00a0different color and hope law enforcement doesn’t notice. New York City has decided to combat this by raising the fines<\/a>\u00a0for curbside vandalism.<\/p>\n

But residents will resort to other tactics as well. When Grist<\/a> executive Necia Dallas moved into a house in Portland, OR, she found a detailed, hand-drawn map indicating the curb spots where she and her neighbors were allowed to park.<\/p>\n

But somewhat polite maps or notes, expensive illegal signs, or in-person instructions are nothing\u2014if someone has parked someone else\u2019s \u201cspot,\u201d some residents will leave a rude message\u00a0on the windshield or go as far as smashing a window, boxing the car in, packing the car with snow and\u00a0freezing it in place (actually though), or pushing the offending car into a driveway so it could be ticketed and towed away.<\/p>\n

\"No<\/a>

Sometimes residents will put up fake no parking signs to deter strangers (view this sign\u00a0here<\/a>).<\/p><\/div>\n

Combating curb territoriality in your neighborhood<\/h3>\n

Having a sense of community is extremely important. We don\u2019t have to resort to measures like smashing cars to get parking expectations across. Instead, try using social media\u2014make a Facebook page for the street, where everyone can discuss issues calmly and diplomatically. Instead of greeting a new neighbor with a parking map, greet them in person, invite them to join the Google+ or the Facebook page, and let them know about the street politics. It\u2019ll make them feel welcome to the community and more willing to comply with the wishes of the neighbors.<\/p>\n

Curb parking can sometimes remind you of animals fighting over a watering hole.\u00a0If you own a car, parking is definitely something to consider when pondering a move into an urban area. Or you could just do away with the car altogether and embrace the green movement. Think about it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Finding a parking spot is difficult in any city. With alternate-side parking, too many cars, and the innate need for territory, being a car-owning newcomer to a city can feel like being a kitten in a jungle. And in some cities, it\u2019s getting worse: available parking is shrinking, law enforcement is cracking down, and population […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":4567,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[419],"class_list":["post-4524","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-no-parking-signs","tag-remzem"],"yoast_head":"\nHow curb territoriality is settled in the animal world\u2014I mean\u2014the city - MyParkingSign Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"With parking in cities becoming more and more difficult, curb territoriality is becoming more intense and can sometimes become violent.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.myparkingsign.com/blog\/how-curb-territoriality-is-settled-in-the-city\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How curb territoriality is settled in the animal world\u2014I mean\u2014the city - 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