How Should Cities Start Reducing Parking Requirements

Chrissy Mancini Nichols

From ride sharing and expanding public transit systems to the promise of autonomous vehicles, cities will likely need less parking in the future. The question: when and how do cities start to reduce parking requirements? Some cities have already started to reduce parking requirements, especially cities with alternative transportation options. We talked with Chrissy Mancini Nichols and Steffen Turoff of Walker Consultants about the pathway to reducing parking requirements.

“Some cities, especially those with ample transit and walkable neighborhoods, have implemented policies that either eliminate or reduce parking minimums or cap parking at a max,” Nichols tells GlobeSt.com. “For example, San Francisco has reduced parking requirements to meet transit and housing goals. Chicago has reduced parking requirements within a half-mile of a CTA rail station. Even in smaller markets, Fargo, New Orleans, Pittsburgh, and other cities have eliminated parking minimums in downtown districts. Buffalo is the first city to completely eliminate parking minimums citywide. It did so to advance overall city goals.  We’re waiting to see if others follow on a city-wide scale.”