Boulder, an American city of roughly 100,000 people about 30 miles from Denver in Colorado, became a trail blazer in 1970 by creating a Parking Benefits District (PBD), which channels money from curbside parking meters and off-street garage fees into streetscape improvements. Today the program generates over $1 million in annual revenue.

Parking fees also fund travel demand initiatives including the popular EcoPass program that gives free transit passes to downtown employees. Approximately 42% of downtown employees use alternative modes of transportation to travel to work creating parking space equivalents (PSEs), freeing up parking spaces for visitors, clients and customers, and saving the parking district the costs of constructing and operating additional parking for employees.

Like many cities across the country, Boulder initially worried that charging for pricing would result in shoppers choosing suburban malls over the downtown retail district. But by investing in downtown revitalization concurrently with implementing parking pricing, in the late 1970s, the city created the Pearl Street Pedestrian Mall, with a mix of residential, office and retail activities, Boulder secured its downtown as a competitive destination. Today drivers to downtown Boulder now park their cars once—usually in a garage—and walk to other parts of the district. Attractive streetscapes funded by the parking fees create a pleasant walking environment, and more foot traffic passing by local stores.