The Texas capital’s new parking law signals a shift in thinking about the relationship between land use, transportation, and housing affordability.
Parking reform’s steady march may have reached a tipping point as Austin became the latest city—and one of the largest—to remove parking requirements citywide. As Kea Wilson writes in Streetsblog, the decision acknowledges parking’s role in perpetuating sprawl and driving up housing costs and is part of the city’s effort to stimulate enough housing production to accommodate its rapidly growing population.
Wilson notes that “Eliminating parking minimums alone, of course, won’t erase car dependency in Austin — and it may not dramatically slow the pace at which developers are building car storage.” But promoting denser development with less parking and more access to transit could increase affordability and help the city reach its goal to get half of the population commuting by transit or other non-car modes within the next two decades.
Read more about this hot topic at the parking reform tag.
FULL STORY: Every Growing City Should Heed Austin’s New Parking Law
Austin Won't Commit to Parking Reductions for Affordable Housing Project
The developer of a proposed affordable housing argues that minimum parking requirements will reduce the number of units or pass costs to tenants, Austin regulators expressed are worried about local parking supplies and access to public transit.
Phoenix Could Ease Parking Requirements to Support Transit, Affordable Housing
In addition to lower citywide parking requirements on residential properties, a proposed law in Phoenix would lower minimum parking requirements even further for affordable housing developments near the city’s light rail system.
Austin Eliminates Parking Requirements
After eliminating downtown parking requirements ten years ago, the city will now end minimum parking mandates citywide.
‘Forward Together’ Bus System Redesign Rolling Out in Portland
Portland is redesigning its bus system to respond to the changing patterns of the post-pandemic world—with twin goals of increasing ridership and improving equity.
Plan to Potentially Remove Downtown Milwaukee’s Interstate Faces Public Scrutiny
The public is weighing in on a suite of options for repairing, replacing, or removing Interstate 794 in downtown Milwaukee.
Can New York City Go Green Without Renewable Rikers?
New York City’s bold proposal to close the jail on Rikers Island and replace it with green infrastructure is in jeopardy. Will this compromise the city’s ambitious climate goals?
700-Acre Master-Planned Community Planned in Utah
A massive development plan is taking shape for lakefront property in Vineyard, Utah—on the site of a former U.S. Steel Geneva Works facility.
More Cities Ponder the End of Drive-Thrus
Drive-thru fast food restaurants might be a staple of American life, but several U.S. cities are actively considering prohibiting the development of new drive-thrus for the benefit of traffic safety, air quality, and congestion.
Air Pollution World’s Worst Public Health Threat, Report Says
Air pollution is more likely to take years life off the lifespan of the average human than any other external factor, according to a recent report out of the University of Chicago.
Placer County
City of Morganton
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Dongguan Binhaiwan Bay Area Management Committee
City of Waukesha, WI
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Indiana Borough
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.
