As more cities eliminate or reduce their minimum parking requirements, the impact on housing supply is coming into focus.
Evidence from cities that have reduced or eliminated parking requirements shows that the changes have led to new housing construction — the expected outcome for many parking reform and housing advocates who say unnecessary parking minimums drive up the cost of housing, limit development on smaller lots, and induce sprawl.
According to an article by Martha C. White in The New York Times, “A 2022 study by the Regional Plan Association, a nonprofit group focused on the New York City area, found that more low-income housing was built in city neighborhoods where parking requirements were reduced.” In Seattle, 60 percent of new development after parking reform would not have been possible under the city’s old regulations.
Despite concerns about not having enough parking, the availability of parking is often about management rather than quantity. “Housing advocates, developers and urbanists harboring visions of less car-centric cityscapes say the rules have little to no bearing on actual demand for parking.” Moreover, removing parking minimums doesn’t prevent developers from building as much parking as they believe is needed.
FULL STORY: What Happens When There Are Fewer Spaces to Park?
Dallas Considers Nixing Parking Requirements
According to one local official, Dallas projects routinely build 20 to 30 percent more parking than they need, driving up the cost of housing and leading to unsustainable land use patterns.
California Law Bars Parking Mandates Near Transit
Local governments are prohibited from requiring parking spaces at new developments where transit is readily available.
How Park(ing) Day Leads to Permanent Change
Small-scale interventions can lead the way to major parking reforms.
What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities
How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.
USDOT Revokes Approval for NYC Congestion Pricing
Despite the administration’s stated concern for the “working class,” 85 percent of Manhattan commuters use public transit to enter the city.
Tiny House Villages for Addressing Homelessness: An Interview with Yetimoni Kpeebi
One researcher's perspective on the potential of tiny homes and owner-built housing as one tool to fight the housing crisis.
Preserving Altadena’s Trees: A Community Effort to Save a Fire-Damaged Landscape
In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena Green is working to preserve fire-damaged but recoverable trees, advocating for better assessment processes, educating homeowners, and protecting the community’s urban canopy from unnecessary removal.
The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan
Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.
Investigation Reveals Just How Badly California’s Homeless Shelters are Failing
Fraud, violence, death, and chaos follow a billion dollar investment in a temporary solution that is proving ineffective.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Economic & Planning Systems, Inc.
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research