"Uptown has a parking problem. But it is not due to a lack of parking.

"The area boasts parking garages at Seven Points mall, the MoZaic complex and the former YWCA gym. Yet the study found that: “Garages remain underutilized (and require a fee), on-street parking has been replaced by bus lanes, and retail patrons still expect to park in front of the businesses they are visiting.” …

"It’s hard for me to endorse free parking in an urban area; it feels like a race to the bottom. But Uptown is competing for visitors with 50th and France, West End, and other districts where free parking is the norm."
—from the column