The U.S. city with the best recent history of convincing commuters to ditch the auto commute is taking further steps to make the city a little less car-centric.
"Seattle council members on Monday approved changes to the parking code that they hope will ultimately tackle their carbon-free, pedestrian-and-bike-friendly, affordable vision for the city," reports Hayat Norimine.
Specifically, the city's new parking ordinance, "expands areas that fall under the definition of 'frequent transit service,' reduces the parking minimum for affordable housing projects, increases requirements for bicycle parking, allows underused private parking lots to be open to the public, and separates parking fees from rental leases."
Support for the new parking ordinance focused on the potential benefit to housing costs, not the potential environmental benefits of less driving.
A previous article by Norimine provides more explanation and background on the changes to Seattle's parking requirements.
FULL STORY: Seattle City Council Approves Changes to Reduce Parking Requirements
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.
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The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
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Journal of the American Planning Association