Parking Perspectives

Every month, many Parker hosts are seeing an extra $500 or more flow into their lives. And while $500 may not seem like a fortune, it’s powerful when you realize what it represents: possibilities.

For decades, the way people parked their cars barely changed. You drove to your destination, circled the block a few times, hoped to spot an open space, and—if luck was on your side—squeezed into something nearby. If not, frustration (and often a hefty parking fee) became part of the experience.

In cities across North America, bike lanes have become a hot topic. Advocates say they reduce traffic, improve safety, and create greener, more livable streets. Critics often counter that bike lanes take away valuable road space and, in many cases, reduce the amount of on-street parking available to residents, businesses, and visitors.

Over the past several weeks, we’ve been exploring one of the most overlooked — yet most frustrating — aspects of urban life: parking. From circling crowded city blocks to underused driveways sitting empty, parking represents both a daily challenge and a tremendous opportunity.

If you’ve ever driven into downtown Toronto—or honestly, any major city—you already know: parking sucks. It’s expensive, it’s stressful, and it eats up far more of your time (and sanity) than it should. And while Toronto is one of the worst offenders, the truth is that parking headaches are a shared experience across big cities and even their suburbs.

Here’s something we don’t talk about enough: parking spaces. You see them everywhere—vast lots, half-empty garages. But what if those spaces, instead of being dead weight, could be part of the solution? Shared parking has the potential to help not just drivers, but all of us—housing, affordability, climate, walk ability. At Parker, we believe that smarter parking can mean a smarter city.

Parking isn’t just a convenience—it shapes how our cities grow, how affordable housing gets built, how people move, and how livable places are. Shared parking can be a powerful tool to solve multiple urban problems at once. Let’s explore why parking is such a big deal—and how Parker’s shared-parking model can make positive change.

Take a moment to think about the assets you own. Your car, your driveway, maybe even a set of power tools in your garage. They’re all useful, yes—but how often are they actually used? The answer might surprise you.

Radius parking is a simple concept with big potential. Instead of driving all the way into the busiest, most congested part of the city, drivers stop a few kilometres out—often in quieter residential or mixed-use neighbourhoods. From there, they switch to another mode of transportation for the “last mile” (or in this case, last 5 kilometres). It’s a smarter way to use your car, your time, and your money.

On a quiet residential street in Toronto, Mark used to glance at the unused strip of pavement beside his driveway and think nothing of it. It was just there—a patch of concrete collecting leaves. Across town, Sarah, who runs a small café, had three parking spaces behind her shop that sat empty every weekday after 5 p.m. For both of them, those spaces didn’t seem valuable—until they discovered Parker.

Over the past five years, the sharing economy has transformed how we live, work, and move through our cities. What began with ride-hailing and home-sharing platforms has expanded into nearly every corner of daily life, offering convenience, flexibility, and efficiency. Canadians now see shared access—not sole ownership—as a smarter way to make better use of limited resources.

In many dense urban neighbourhoods, there’s a persistent tension: on‐street parking is overfull and congested, while off‐street parking in nearby residential buildings often has large amounts of empty capacity.

When Airbnb launched, it changed how people thought about travel accommodations. Suddenly, unused guest rooms, basements, and vacation homes became income-generating assets. Now, the same shift is happening with parking — and Parker is leading the way.

Walk through almost any city and you’ll notice a strange contradiction: massive parking lots sitting half-empty while drivers circle endlessly, frustrated that they can’t find a spot.

Finding a parking spot in the city can feel impossible. Yet just around the corner, thousands of perfectly good spaces — driveways, lots, and business spots — sit empty. Parker changes that.

When it comes to city driving, parking is often the biggest headache. Drivers circle the block endlessly, parking lots sit underused, and developers keep building more spaces that don’t solve the problem.