What does it take to make the bold step toward ending parking minimums in an entire city?
Hartford, Connecticut made history in 2017 by becoming the first city to remove minimum parking requirements citywide.
Rachel Quednau revisits the history making act with a few questions: "We wish this was the standard everywhere, but it’s not, so Hartford’s is a radical act. What created the circumstances that allowed this change to be implemented? What softened the ground for change that, in so many municipalities, seems a long ways away?"
Quednau finds three key factors involved with Hartford's decision to remove parking minimums. The article goes into more detail for each of these three points:
- The city is already easily accessible without a car.
- The removal of parking minimums happened in tandem with a broader city-wide movement toward people-centered places.
- The elimination of parking minimums happened incrementally over time.
As Quednau suggests to conclude the article, many U.S. cities have some or all of these ingredients already in place, so it could be that more cities begin to follow Hartford's example.
Berkeley to Remove Parking Requirements for Residential Properties
Berkeley is the second city in Northern California to approve landmark zoning reforms so far in 2021.
Akron Considering the End of Parking Minimums as a Downtown Development Incentive
The Akron City Council will this week decide on legislation that could at it to the roster of cities that have reformed parking requirements.
Parking Reform Yields New Housing
As more cities eliminate or reduce their minimum parking requirements, the impact on housing supply is coming into focus.
San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule
The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.
Has President Trump Met His Match?
Doug Ford, the no-nonsense premier of Canada's most populous province, Ontario, is taking on Trump where it hurts — making American energy more expensive.
Study: London ULEZ Rapidly Cleaning up Air Pollution
Expanding the city’s ultra low-emission zone has resulted in dramatic drops in particle emissions in inner and outer London.
San Jose Mayor Takes Dual Approach to Unsheltered Homeless Population
In a commentary published in The Mercury News, Mayor Matt Mahan describes a shelter and law enforcement approach to ending targeted homeless encampments within Northern California's largest city.
Atlanta Changes Beltline Rail Plan
City officials say they are committed to building rail connections, but are nixing a prior plan to extend the streetcar network.
Are Black Mayors Being Pushed Out of Office?
The mayors of New York, St. Louis, and Pittsburgh all stand to lose their seats in the coming weeks. They also all happen to be Black.
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