As Pune rapidly expands into a dense, multi-nodal metropolis, one everyday issue quietly but decisively shapes congestion, walkability, public transport usage, and urban liveability: parking. Yet, nearly a decade after Pune’s Parking Policy was introduced in 2016, the city continues to grapple with mispriced, weakly enforced, and inequitable parking management.

This policy paper, authored by Sanika Gandhi and Anushka Singh Tomar under the guidance of Prof. Abhay Pethe at Centre for Co-operative Federalism and Multilevel Governance (CFMG) of the Pune International Centre, offers a timely and rigorous rethinking of how Pune prices, regulates, and governs its parking spaces.

Grounded in economic reasoning, urban planning principles, and global best practices, the paper challenges the notion of parking as a right and reframes it as a scarce public resource that must be priced, managed, and governed transparently. Over time, Pune has undergone rapid urban expansion, changes in land use, and shifts in mobility patterns due to metro connectivity and the growth of new commercial and residential hubs such as Kharadi and NIBM. In this changed context, the paper finds that the existing policy is constrained by underpriced parking in high-demand areas, weak enforcement, outdated zoning classifications, and a pricing formula that relies on vehicle registrations and citywide ready reckoner rates rather than actual parking demand

Drawing lessons from cities such as Chennai, Singapore, Vienna, and Zurich, the paper demonstrates how well-designed parking policies can reduce congestion, improve compliance, protect public space, and enhance urban mobility without undermining economic activity. It also presents clear and implementable recommendations for the Pune Municipal Corporation, including reforms in zoning, pricing mechanisms, digital enforcement, residential permits, metro-area parking, and institutional design. The paper proposes reforms centred on a Universal Pay and Park system, demand-based pricing, revised zone demarcations aligned with land value and congestion, reduced exemptions, and stronger institutional and technological enforcement, with the aim of improving parking management, ensuring efficient use of urban space, and supporting better urban planning outcomes for Pune.

More than a technical policy review, this working paper aims to serve as a template for a rational, citizen-centric parking policy, one that balances economic efficiency, administrative feasibility, and democratic accountability.

Note: The views expressed in this paper are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Pune International Centre (PIC). Any remaining errors are the authors’ own.