Most American cities are built around cars, and zoning codes keep it that way. Parking minimums require every new home or building to include a certain number of parking spaces, regardless of actual need. Reforming or eliminating these mandates frees up land, lowers housing costs, and helps communities become more walkable and sustainable. It is important to note that eliminating parking minimums does not eliminate the availability of parking.
According to the Sightline institute, removing parking minimums can enable 40–70% more homes on the same land.
Research by the Terner Center indicates parking structures add $35,000–$38,000 per unit, about 8% of total project cost–a burden passed directly to renters and homeowners.
Mercatus found that parking reforms can allow for the development of more varied building types, easing costs for renters. Reform makes some parking available but not required.
Policy features determine how the bill will impact different constituencies and stakeholders, and how it will fare politically. They are critical for getting legislation approved. The legislative process requires constant compromise and negotiation, so features must be carefully crafted to appeal to a broad base of support and overcome potential opposition.
Focus on easing or eliminating parking requirements near transit corridors as a way to encourage density, transit use, and walkable neighborhoods.
Provide specific allowances for disability-accessible parking to ensure that those who need access to a vehicle don’t have to compete for space. Rather than mandating excessive parking everywhere, strategic disability allowances focus on providing parking where it is most needed.
Allow by-right approval for projects that meet new parking standards. This saves staff time and eliminates costly delays that drive up housing prices.
Local communities historically have not been successful at predicting the appropriate amount of parking. Setting a maximum now can become another barrier to housing down the road.
Designating reserved parking for local residents and other approved users creates unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles that slow down housing production and complicate project approvals.
Predicting parking demand by formula is imprecise and unnecessarily complicates housing project submissions and approvals.
To make parking reform policy enforceable,
To get buy in, prioritize spreading a fact-based narrative about parking reform and its benefits by building coalitions with local residents and businesses. Education sessions and neighborhood meetings can counter common fears about reductions in parking; for example, businesses sometimes oppose parking reform because they fear a loss of revenue if potential customers cannot park nearby. In reality, they overestimate the number of customers who arrive by car and underestimate the number who arrive by foot where infrastructure accommodates it.
Our chapters are making headlines for their efforts to reform parking minimums and make housing easier to build.
A collection of high-quality case studies, research, and guides to help you in your parking reform policy efforts
