Lifting Parking Requirements

As part of its series looking at improving transportation in the U.S., Slate delves into the intricacies of parking requirements and how they impact transportation and traffic in cities.

1 minute read

June 29, 2010, 8:00 AM PDT

By Nate Berg

Writer Tom Vanderbilt reviews readers' suggestions and looks at ideas about eliminating parking requirements.

"[P]arking is a huge, if typically overlooked, part of the traffic equation. Storage is a key part of our automobile networks, and cars are stored quite a bit: Cars spend, on average, 95 of their time simply parked. For another, such plans are counterintuitive: It's odd for planners (one took pains to indicate he was not a libertarian) to advocate actually doing away with planning regulations. The third is that many cities have already begun to experiment with their parking codes, providing not tantalizing 'what ifs' but useful case studies.

Unless you are involved in transportation, local government, or real estate, the words 'minimum parking requirements' may be unfamiliar to you. And yet their influence is all around you."

Thanks to ArchNewsNow

FULL STORY: There's No Such Thing as Free Parking

Tuesday, June 22, 2010 in Slate

Government / Politics Transportation United States Congestion Parking Requirements Traffic View More

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Start Learning

Advertise with us

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.