Transit Oriented Development projects around the country are still facing suburban-style parking requirements.
Reporting from the Rail-Volution Conference in Dallas, Brandon Formby of The Dallas Morning News looks at how parking requirements for projects around mass transit stations have failed to keep pace with actual needs. Formby cites a study led by University of Utah city planning professor Reid Ewing, which looked at actual parking needs and trip counts for a site in Seattle.
Ewing said the development spurred about 37 percent of the vehicle trips per day that the Institute of Transportation Engineers estimated would occur. He said the guidelines estimated that residential parking demand would require 441 spaces during peak periods. [Ewing] said only 278 spaces would satisfy actual demand.
As has been noted in other studies and articles, the end result of providing more parking than needed is an increase in costs for new housing units in TOD projects. "Those costs are, of course, passed on to renters and buyers — even those without vehicles," said Minneapolis land-use manager Jason Wittenberg.
FULL STORY: Are parking requirements and regulations out of touch with today’s world?
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.
Dallas Could Eliminate Parking Requirements
Supporters of the measure say it would contribute to economic development and make local development more affordable.
Dallas Council Memo Suggests Ending Parking Requirements
City staff were asked to evaluate the potential for reducing parking and eliminating or altering minimum parking requirements.
National Parks Layoffs Will Cause Communities to Lose Billions
Thousands of essential park workers were laid off this week, just before the busy spring break season.
Retro-silient?: America’s First “Eco-burb,” The Woodlands Turns 50
A master-planned community north of Houston offers lessons on green infrastructure and resilient design, but falls short of its founder’s lofty affordability and walkability goals.
Delivering for America Plan Will Downgrade Mail Service in at Least 49.5 Percent of Zip Codes
Republican and Democrat lawmakers criticize the plan for its disproportionate negative impact on rural communities.
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Balancing Bombs and Butterflies: How the National Guard Protects a Rare Species
The National Guard at Fort Indiantown Gap uses GIS technology and land management strategies to balance military training with conservation efforts, ensuring the survival of the rare eastern regal fritillary butterfly.
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.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service