Cincinnati isn't the only city with a downtown parking crunch.

        Other major cities such as Chicago, Cleveland, Los Angeles, Memphis, Indianapolis, New York and Boston have similar, and in many cases, worse parking problems, said Betsy Jackson, presi dent of the International Downtown Association, a Washington, D.C.-based trade group that promotes downtowns

        “Some of the issues you describe there sound minor to what we've heard from other parts of the country,” Ms. Jackson said.

        One city known for taking on parking issues is Portland, Ore., recently named the nation's Most Liveable City by Money magazine.

        The city and a downtown advocacy group identified 20 years ago that parking was an essential ingredient to a vibrant downtown, said Casey Jones, senior operations manager for the Association of Portland Progress.

        The city then became an aggressive player in the parking business. It controls about 90 percent of the city's short-term parking.

        In contrast, the city and Hamilton County combined control about 35 percent to 40 percent of Cincinnati's downtown short-term parking.

        Experts say the difference between Portland and other U.S. cities is that it made a strategic decision years ago to manage its downtown transportation system. The city also operates a light rail system that transports about 70,000 downtown commuters daily.

        The city's involvement in Portland allows it to keep rates at most downtown garages at or below that of parking meters, increasing availability and turnover and maintaining more stable rates.

        In Cincinnati, that scenario would be ideal and more appeal ing to commuters and retailers, but likely would not work.

        That's because demand here is higher for downtown monthly parking for workers rather than short-term parking for shoppers and visitors, said Chuck Cullen, Cincinnati's parking superintendent.

        “High parking meter rates are seen as a deterrent to keep people from coming downtown, but actually, it discourages workers from taking those places and reducing availability for visitors,” he said.

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