Every development was new at some point. The space for parking wasn't public until the developer signed it over. And maintenance costs money, but the increased

Every development was new at some point. The space for parking wasn't public until the developer signed it over. And maintenance costs money, but the increased tax revenue from the development more than offsets that. Which is why the city/ state is willing to accept maintenance responsibility for it as part of the dedication. >that land could be better allocated to economically productive use. Maybe, but it's not what it was deeded for. But you actually see a lot of this nowadays, where the development doesn't dedicate the right of way to the public and assumes its own maintenance costs, specifically because they don't want to lose long term control over how the land is used. If people keep seeing public on-street parking as a free lunch to turn into mass transit or bike lanes, you'll start seeing more and more private street developments.