HUNDREDS of cities across the US are looking to slash parking bay requirements under a set of new laws – making life trickier for motorists.
At present, the country has around two billion parking spots – roughly seven for every car.
Sweeping changes could be made to parking lots across major cities in the US[/caption]
While it could benefit housing development, it might also mean more competition for parking spaces[/caption]
To put this into perspective, they would cover an area around the size of West Virginia.
But this could change in the near future as parking lots and spaces are being taken back and removed to make room for much-needed housing and to create more walkable cities.
According to the New York Times’ research, many cities have already reduced or eliminated parking requirements, including San Jose, Raleigh, Lexington, Austin, and New York City.
These changes have led to more housing development but have also faced backlash from residents concerned about reduced parking, increased traffic, and higher demand for on-street spaces.
Christof Spieler, a structural engineer and urban planner at the Rice School of Architecture in Houston, said: “I think you often end up in a situation where people have to walk farther to get to a parking spot, circle longer before finding a parking spot, and plan ahead about where they’re going to park.”
However, studies show that reducing parking requirements can lead to more housing.
For instance, Seattle’s relaxed parking rules have enabled significant housing development.
Similarly, Buffalo saw increased housing development after eliminating parking minimums.
“It helps to unlock land that was formerly parking spaces,” said Daniel Hess, a professor of urban and regional planning at the University at Buffalo.
“It’s the simplest zoning reform you can have.
“Minimum parking requirements have done immense harm. We have so much asphalt.”
What’s more, excessive parking surfaces contribute to rising temperatures and flooding.
Cities like Austin have ended parking mandates to encourage development.
“It’s really important to me that we, as a city, stop forcing developers to build parking they don’t want to build — it’s an unnecessary burden,” said Zo Qadri, an Austin city councilman.
However, opposition remains, with residents concerned about parking scarcity and increased traffic.
In historic or revitalized neighborhoods, parking is a contentious issue due to narrow streets.
Some suggest using parking policy as an incentive to preserve historic structures.
The desire for convenient parking often conflicts with the desire to maintain charming, small-scale spaces.
“We want that readily available parking, that easy-to-pull-into diagonal spot, but we still want that cute, small-scale space with historic buildings,” said Mr. Spieler of the Rice School of Architecture in Houston.
“We need to recognize that there are trade-offs here.”
