Why can't you find a parking space on campus? ?

Question

I have an assignment at school to explain this from a sociological perspective. Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

I dunno. But that's why I usually walk to school.

Answer 2

I agree with cwood, it isn't a matter of NOT finding a spot, it is more a matter of finding a prime spot.

Our society is all about convenience, and often it is shown that we have too many priveleges and not enough responsibility.

Good Lord forbid that a student have to take a city bus, or worse yet, have to walk across the length of two parking lots.

Answer 3

A lot of people drive to school instead of taking public transportation. Maybe because they had to take the bus when they were younger and in most cases because they want to get in and get out and get class over with.

The chance of actually not finding a space on campus is low. It is more a matter of only looking close to your classes. Because people don't want to have to park far away and walk to class. So the closest lots fill up first and people circle around until a spot becomes available.  

Answer 4

Because they school doesn't own enough land to build more parking spaces on !i

Answer 5

This means that our society is extremely privileged.  Not only are our colleges and universities filled to capacities, but our students are all so wealthy that they can all afford vehicles.  If you look at other countries, or even the way things were 30 years ago, you will not find such wealth.

Another perspective mentioned by Tom Vanderbilt in his book Traffic: How We Drive... is that people are willing to walk the equivalent of 2 blocks in a sports stadium lot or a WalMart lot, but that when it comes to downtown parking, people need to have the closest available spot.  It's a psychological illusion of open space vs. a dense population.

Answer 6

A Campus is composed by 4 groups of people:

People who teach, people who learn and people who do adminitrative work. A 4th group is formed by people who have to access campus on irregular basis (firemen, police, paramedics, visiting clergy etc).

The 3 main groups (teachers, studemts, admins) are getting wider in numbers, as many are part timers.

Also, ever increaing numbers of people are after a Degree, which means increasing nuber of students, teachers and admins.

When most colleges were built, most students could not afford a car, most part-time teachers either, and muc fewer people served as admins. Cars were owned by well payed teachers and rich people who finance Campuses (out of vanity some times).

Access to cars for the average person grow much faster than Campuses had to expand.

Campuses are run on VERY tight budgets, and parking space is so low on their priority list that they can not deal with it. Their major priority is maintaining buildings and hiring good professors. Then comes equipment for labs, new buildings for new disciplines etc.

It may sound silly, but ALL space around a campus is taken. Check Hamilton Village pics from early 20th century. Now, sits thear the University of Pennsylvania. They crave for space, but they have to buy it.

Around a Campus, land becomes expensive, in view of anticipated high demand for land. So, when the Campus peole consider to buy land, it has become more expensive beacause of the Campus itslef. It is like if a major Coroporation buyies its own stock: more they buy, more expensive it gets.

I tend to think that Campuses have a hidden agenda against the use of cars. Cars bring noise, some students are rckless and accidents on any campus take a dramatic chunk of attention, as opposed to any other place. It is also considered quite "education wise" to have students walk to classes and run from building to building that driving.

Cars may be somewhat unwanted on campuses since they stress inequality and may bring about taboo isues like social mobility, class, gender, race etc. Rich white students would show off expensive cars, whereas say african students will drive used domestic cars. Few wealthy african students may not, but the general rule still applies.

Note that cars are more flashier item than other expensive items. Students can not walk down the street flashing expensive cellphones, wristwatches or laptops. Although some of these items can be extremely pricy, they attrect less attention that a luxury car.

This is a theory, but privetly is discussed.

Cars present also a set of hazzards and a Campus is legally responsible for an accident inside its borders.

Hearsay can amplify the stress of an accident to those who witness it or those who just knew someone involved.

Cars can be source of pranks between students, and every practical joke is only an inch away from people being harmed, lawsuits, fees, investigations, etc. Students may drive when drunk and what if a student and a teacher crash ? Regardless of whose fault it may be, the teacher may be accused of being biased towrds this student.

These are not exactly reasons to chase cars away fron campuses, they are just issues that put cars on the list of sources of trouble.

Finally, there is a romantic perspective. A campus is judged by people who are NOT involved with it directly.

These people are parents who pay tuition, trustees and regents who finance the campus, voters and decision makers on state level. All these people have a preconceived idea on HOW a campus should look like. They love nice clean buildings and pathways, green grass, trees, ivy covered walls, practical and easily accessible buildings, a quiet environment, etc.

Just imagine a 50year old man taking junior to his college and instead of quiet pahs, finds huge driveways and students racing with their hot wheels. He is quite likely not to send his kid and so are many parents, who can enforce their view (here it is quite healthy, in other cases it is not) with their money. So do people who give large donnations, etc.

Finally, decreased parking space makes it easier for emergency and special vehicles to circulate: Cars taking to class the physically challenged, Police cars, Fire engines, bomb squads can reach in a much easier and effective way their destibation.

Also, more cars means that someone will have to direct them like a traffic cop. This person will have to be paid a salary. Even more cars, or huge parking lots would mean more men and more security for these cars and drivers.

Campuses are not meant to look like a mall.