PPSM results for an illustrative base parking scenario.
A parking-price change affects more than the amount charged for an hour. People may make fewer parking visits, stay for less time, or choose a cheaper block or lot nearby. Those responses can change both demand and revenue. The cost of running the parking program also affects the financial result. A useful analysis examines those pieces together.
The Paid Parking Scenario Modeler (PPSM), part of Studio Davis Analytics Atlas, provides a framework for comparing Current and Proposed conditions before a city changes its prices. The public demonstration is available now. It lets visitors work through a synthetic example and see the assumptions behind the results.
Build on a practical pricing question
This work grew out of a recurring consulting question: if we change the price here, what happens there? Studio Davis developed a spreadsheet-based meter-revenue tool alongside Oregon’s Parking Management Jump Start Guide. PPSM builds on that work by bringing parking assets, pricing, turnover, program costs, and behavioral-response scenarios into a common comparison.
Consider a city proposing to charge for a busy curb while leaving a nearby parking option cheaper or free. Some activity may shift, some stays may shorten, and some demand may fall. Applying the proposed rate to all existing activity would miss those possibilities. Comparing scenarios helps staff examine how different assumptions affect the case for the change.
Make the assumptions visible
The public demo uses synthetic examples, up to two shared parking assets, constant hourly pricing, and fixed planning sensitivities. Current and Proposed scenarios share the study-area assets, making the comparison easier to follow. Visitors can examine the inputs and compare the resulting demand and financial measures.
A project-specific analysis needs local evidence. Parking counts, typical stays, existing rates, and operating costs help establish a baseline. Sensitivity testing then helps identify which uncertain assumptions could change the decision. If the recommendation depends heavily on an assumed response, that is a useful reason to collect better evidence before relying on it.
Keep improving the evidence
Seattle’s public parking-payment data offer an opportunity to examine patterns around rate changes and inform future PPSM assumptions. Payment records describe purchased parking activity; they do not directly measure every parked vehicle. Field observations are also important for understanding where people park and how far they walk to a cheaper option. Connecting those sources is a direction for further work.
PPSM makes the pricing question, assumptions, and results easier to discuss together. Explore the PPSM demonstration to work through a synthetic example. If your community is considering paid parking or a rate change, contact Studio Davis to discuss a project-specific analysis.