[1] He was a research professor of urban planning at University of California, Los Angeles and a noted Georgist[2] economist.

[8] After completing his PhD he headed west, assuming a post as research economist at UCLA's Institute for Government and Public Affairs.

[10][11] Originally focused on public finance and land value tax theory, in 1975 Shoup was inspired by a master's thesis that found that Los Angeles County employees were almost twice as likely to drive alone than federal employees in the Los Angeles Civic Center due to the availability of free parking.

[12] Shoup extensively studied parking as a key link between transportation and land use, with important consequences for cities, the economy, and the environment.

In a 2004 paper titled The Ideal Source of Local Public Revenue, Shoup argued for the application of Georgist tax theory to urban parking and transportation issues.