The New Rules of Parking: Price Smart, Bundle Charging, Unlock Idle Space

A funny thing happened to parking while no one was looking: it turned into a storefront. Prices move with demand. Empty decks open after hours. EV charging is part of the ticket, not a bolt-on. You don’t need more concrete to win this game—you need to run the asset like a business. Credit to The Wall Street Journal for chronicling the rise of dynamic pricing and to Buildings magazine for spelling out how owners can modernize without pouring a new slab.

What’s changed—and why it matters

For years, parking was fixed: one rate, one gate, same experience on game night and Tuesday morning. That model left money on the table and customers frustrated. Today’s hybrid systems keep the secure access layer you know (gates, LPR, validations) and add an app-driven layer that adjusts prices around events, nudges drivers to underused areas, and bundles parking + charging in one clean offer. The goal isn’t surge pricing; it’s fair, transparent rates that reflect real demand—and higher effective occupancy from the stalls you already own. Buildings describes this shift as the “new rules of parking,” and it’s spreading because it lifts revenue without increasing capital spend.

Cities and industry groups are pushing in the same direction. Shared parking policies encourage opening office garages at night and residential decks by day so communities can add capacity without new construction—exactly the kind of “sweat the asset” approach owners can monetize with software.

Emulate what great operators are doing

Price by the calendar, not by habit. Preload your event schedule—concerts, clinic days, movie weekends—and let the system auto-step prices a few hours before and after the rush. The Wall Street Journal has tracked this shift for years, from San Francisco’s block-by-block pilots to private operators rolling out AI pricing. The point isn’t to gouge; it’s to keep spaces available when they’re scarce and fill the top deck when they’re not.

Open up lots during quiet hours. If leases allow, list evenings and Sundays to the public at a friendly flat rate. This is where shared-parking playbooks shine: your “dead” inventory becomes a neighborhood valve—and a new revenue line—without a single installation cost.

Make charging part of the ticket. Drivers hate guessing. Publish an all-in option (parking + a set kWh), add validation (“first 10 minutes on us with purchase”), and steer load with off-peak charging discounts. One app, one receipt, fast exits. That’s how you turn “I hope there’s a charger” into “I know what I’m getting.” Buildings highlights exactly this packaging in its parking trends.

Connect the dots on the back end. Your gates, LPR, payment, and charging should speak the same language so occupancy + energy show up on one dashboard your team can actually use. If a vendor can’t demonstrate live integrations, keep looking; migration gets harder later. (Parking management guides identify open systems as the safest path.)

Steps to take this quarter

• Run a 90-day pilot at one flagship site. Turn on dynamic pricing tied to events and occupancy. Bundle a simple parking-plus-charging offer. Track three numbers: (1) turnover near events, (2) percentage of stalls filled off-peak, (3) charge sessions that happen outside your busiest windows.

• Activate idle inventory. Launch a “Nights & Sundays” program on the top deck; review weekly and adjust. Use signage and the app to make it obvious.

• Publish the experience. Promise clean, well-lit bays, clear wayfinding, easy tap-to-pay—then deliver. Reliability sells more sessions than any promo can.

• Share results with tenants. Retailers love validation that brings customers inside; offices love predictable access. Show the lift and recruit partners.

What to tell your board

We’re optimizing before expanding. Software lets us raise effective occupancy and revenue without new construction, aligned with what Buildings identifies as the five trends redefining parking. We’re bundling EV charging with the visit, using validation and off-peak discounts to protect margins. Finally, we’re pricing fairly and transparently, the way leading operators and cities already do, per WSJ and shared-parking guidance. These are straightforward margin plays using tools the market now understands.

Bottom line: Run the lot like a modern storefront

The winners won’t be the garages with the most concrete; they’ll be the ones that price with demand, open the quiet hours, and fold charging into a seamless visit. Start with the deck you have. Make it easy to find, easy to pay, and easy to charge. Thanks to the Wall Street Journal for spotlighting the shift to demand-based pricing and to Buildings, ITDP, and eMabler for the practical playbooks. Do this well and you won’t just keep up with the new rules of parking—you’ll write them on your block.