The project, which is located near light rail and bus stations, will also include a ride hailing zone, bike parking, and improved pedestrian facilities.
A new housing development in Buffalo will be home to the city's first "mobility hub," designed "to encourage people to walk, bike, take public transit, carshare or any other form of eco-friendly transportation," reports Emily Nanko. "[I]n 2017, Buffalo became the first U.S. city to stop requiring development projects to include a minimum amount of parking. The zoning change also required a 'transportation demand management plan' for new developments over 5,000 square feet."
"A mobility hub made sense not just because residents wanted to prioritize it, but because of the site’s proximity to multiple bus lines and two light rail stations," writes Nanko. "The building design even reflects the needs of the mobility hub. The city expanded the surrounding sidewalks to be more pedestrian friendly and accommodate a 'pull up zone' for ride hailing services. Inside the building there will be secure, long term bicycle parking as well as a fix-it station."
The zoning change seems to have had a significant impact on how developers design their buildings. "A 2021 study analyzing the impact of Buffalo’s 2017 zoning change found that mixed-use developers 'readily took advantage of the newfound possibility to include less off-street parking.' The 14 mixed-use projects tracked provided 53 percent less parking than previously required. Four projects built no parking at all."
FULL STORY: Buffalo’s First Mobility Hub Rolls Forward
San José Could Eliminate Parking Minimums
The city of San José has the highest minimum parking requirements in the state. Now, it is weighing a proposal that would do away with them altogether and let developers decide how much parking to build.
St. Paul Does Away With Minimum Parking Requirements
The city is one of the first in the nation to completely eliminate parking mandates citywide.
Denver Reduces Parking Requirements for Affordable Housing
The zoning change will significantly reduce the cost of building affordable housing developments.
What We Really Mean When We Say Gentrification
The focus on gentrifying communities has, in many cases, eclipsed the similar problems facing more stagnant neighborhoods.
Study: Market-Rate Development Filters Into Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing
New research sheds new light on one of the most hotly debated questions in planning and development.
Why Tech-Utopian City Plans Fail
Like others before him, e-commerce billionaire Marc Lore wants to build the ideal city from scratch. Urban experts don't have much faith in his chances.
BAE Urban Economics, Inc.
Community Builders
City of Scotts Valley
Edtalkradio
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
American Planning Association
Hillsborough County Public Schools
City of Raleigh
City of Laramie, Wyoming and Albany County Wyoming
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.
Hand Drawing Master Plans
This course aims to provide an introduction into Urban Design Sketching focused on how to hand draw master plans using a mix of colored markers.
