A New Way to Look at Minimum Parking Requirements
(Source: Unsplash.)
In 2015, Strong Towns led a landmark campaign in the fight to end costly parking mandates by developing a crowdsourced map of cities that have eliminated minimum parking requirements. Circulating far and wide, this map has been an emblem in illustrating where cities prioritize people over cars, and inspires other communities to do the same. But the increasing number of entries reminds us that not all parking reform policies are created equal. Some cities have eliminated minimum requirements for all land uses citywide (a gold standard!), while others have reduced minimums along a 500-foot historic corridor, and still others have eliminated minimums for a specific land use within a central business district. Understanding the wide variation keeps us honest about the movement’s progress and reveals opportunities for continued advancement. With this in mind, we are excited to announce that the old map has gotten a facelift.
For the past year, the Parking Reform Network (PRN)—a non-profit organization dedicated to educating the public about the impact of parking policy—has worked alongside Strong Towns to capture all the juicy details in the parking zoning codes of over 200 cities across North America. We’ve reimagined and crystallized the nuances within this unique dataset. PRN saw an opportunity to strengthen the map by conveying distinctions between the type of policy, identifying the land uses affected, and illustrating the geography it applies to. Knowledge IS power: By sharing what policies communities adopted, we’re empowering others to better understand good parking reform and achieve it in their own communities.
This is only the beginning for the Parking Reform Network! Since launching in 2020, we’re 200+ members strong across the globe. In October of 2021, PRN hosted a fundraiser in three major cities (New York, Chicago, and DC), raising $10,000 in one week. In addition to producing this map, we’ll be releasing a “parking reform playbook” to highlight best practices case studies on Parking Benefit Districts. Our purpose is to empower and share knowledge among our members and help professionals and advocates in any field with “parking problems.” PRN members enjoy access to a Slack chat with fellow parking reformers and urbanists, membership meetings featuring mobility change-makers throughout the country, and access to other members and news about reform across the country.
Key Takeaways
1. When it comes to parking codes, multifaceted is the norm and simplicity is the exception.
The simplest way to integrate parking reform in a zoning code is simple: “There are no provisions that establish a minimum number of off-street parking spaces for development for all land uses.” This is easy to implement, clear for readers to understand, and a tremendous advancement in making your city more livable. But more often, communities address a variety of use cases through writing many, many provisions.
For example, a zoning code commonly includes provisions to eliminate minimums in a central business district for all land uses, another provision to eliminate requirements for just commercial land uses along a specific corridor, another provision to be eligible to reduce residential requirements in another area, another provision to reduce a percentage of parking requirements if additional bicycle parking is included on site, another provision about maximums along pedestrian-oriented or transit-oriented land uses... You get the picture. While these provisions are an important step to accomplish parking reform, high levels of intricacy can create confusion for incoming developments, make it more technically challenging for staff to make adjustments, and limit growth. As the success of citywide parking reforms continue to increase, we hope the number of provisions will continue to decrease.
2. A very large number of cities have eliminated minimum requirements for a very small portion of their communities.
Of the 200 examined codes, approximately 20% have abolished or reduced parking mandates citywide. The remainder have eliminated parking requirements in specific areas such as a central business district, main street, or historic district. In fact, several codes limited parking reforms to two to four blocks within a downtown or commercial district, as seen below. Eliminating minimum parking requirements is progress no matter which way you cut it, but limiting it to such an insignificant area also limits the positive impacts of these policies.
3. Parking reform heavily leans toward commercial land uses.
More often than not, parking requirements for commercial land uses are the first to go. Nearly every map entry eliminates mandates for commercial/retail development, facilitating walkable downtowns and commercial districts, but residential reform is just as important and has much more conservative parking ratios. Parking requirements for residential land uses are typically reserved for individuals and remain vacant for large portions of the day. Tackling residential parking requirements remains a major opportunity in the parking reform movement.
4. Parking maximums are not uncommon.
Parking maximums (a required cap on the total number of parking spaces constructed) have been a polarizing reform strategy in recent years due to concerns surrounding developer push-back and vehicle access limitations. But with 45 code entries—many being in communities with under 50,000 people—they seem to be less controversial than anticipated. One of the many benefits of having a crowdsourced map is that communities adopting bold and progressive reforms can share their accomplishments, encourage others to do the same, and create a cycle of parking reform throughout the country. But don’t take our word for it, check out the map!
What’s New with the Map
The updated map features colors indicating the geography (or scope) that each parking reform policy applies to. While the ideal policy would be to eliminate costly parking mandates citywide, many communities only have this provision for specific land uses and/or specific geographies. Accordingly, citywide policies have been marked in red to reflect their importance.
The drop-down menu on the left-hand side of the map allows users to filter new categories regarding key reform information. In addition to the “Scope of Reform,” featured in the legend/colors, “Policy Change” allows users to disseminate just how many cities have implemented parking maximums, eliminated minimums, or simply reduced existing requirements. The “Affected Land Use” filter allows users to view which land uses reform policies apply to. Finally, the population slider on the bottom of the drop-down alters the population size on the map. Users can easily search for cities that have eliminated minimum parking requirements in transit-oriented areas, or cities that have eliminated parking mandates for residential land uses in the City center. The combinations are endless! You might notice some overlap or inconsistencies in the policy change or the affected land uses, and that is because many codes apply different reform policies to different areas of their communities, which is captured in full on the “Detailed Information and Citations” page.
Perhaps the most exciting difference in this map is that users can view the word-for-word zoning code language adopted by each of the communities on the map. That’s right! Any time you find yourself wondering what exactly the flagship zoning code looked like in Buffalo, New York, that eliminated minimum parking requirements citywide, then look no further. We have also provided a link to the city codes so viewers have the option to scroll through it themselves.
Are you wondering why your city isn’t on the map? Got a reform you’d like to share? Please fill out this form to get on the map! Or feel free to reach out to the Parking Reform Network team with other questions or comments at map@parkingreform.org.
This week is Thanksgiving in the United States, and Thanksgiving means Black Friday shopping, and Black Friday means it's time to get #BlackFridayParking trending on social media once again.
Help bring awareness to this issue by participating in #BlackFridayParking this Friday!
Take a photo of a parking lot in your community that's barely full on Black Friday.
Post it to social media using the hashtag #BlackFridayParking, and make sure to tag us (@strongtowns on Twitter, @strongtownspics on Instagram) and we'll boost your post!
Check our feeds to see photos from across the United States.
Tony Jordan is President of the Parking Reform Network, an organization he co-founded in 2019 to help accelerate parking policy reforms around the world. He has a degree in Politics from UC Santa Cruz and has worked as a software engineer, union organizer, and bread baker. Tony grew up in San Pedro, California, and moved to Portland, Oregon, in 2002 where he lives with his wife and two school-age children, their dog Nova, and no cars. You can reach him on Twitter (@twjpdx23) or by email (tony@parkingreform.org).
Jane Wilberding, AICP, is a co-founder of the Parking Reform Network, where she leads the research wing of the organization. She has an undergraduate degree in Urban Studies & Business from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, and a Master of Urban Planning and Policy (MUPP) from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). She has over a decade of experience in the parking/mobility world, including at the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP), DESMAN parking specialists, and Sam Schwartz Engineering. She is currently a Senior Mobility Manager at HNTB in Chicago, living proudly car-free and leading projects throughout the country that reimage parking/mobility networks to accommodate all modes, abilities, and mindsets. You can reach her via email (jane@parkingreform.org) on LinkedIn, or on Twitter (@JaneWilberding).