Examining the spatial distribution of parking tickets in San Francisco neighborhoods: An overlooked form of urban inequality?

Abstract

ABSTRACT Parking citations are among the most common minor offenses, which can result in millions of dollars in revenue each year for cities. However, it is an open question whether the spatial distribution of parking citations is equitable in terms of neighborhoods’ racial/ethnic composition and economic standing. To the extent that parking citations are issued in nonwhite or low-income neighborhoods, this would represent a form of urban inequality. Thus, for the present study, we assess this understudied proposition by collecting data on neighborhoods in San Francisco, California, and estimating a series of negative binomial regression models. Although we find that measures of nonwhite ethnicities are non-significant in relation to all types of parking citations, we do find evidence that low-income neighborhoods have significantly higher rates of both street cleaning and metered parking citations, in comparison to high-income neighborhoods. We also determine that the effect of neighborhood income is moderated by the concentration of certain ethnicities. The implications of these findings for urban sociology and public policy are discussed.