No longer tied to minimum parking requirements, housing developers are starting to shift to more walkable, transit-oriented projects.
Developments designed to discourage private car ownership are being built in some traditionally car-oriented parts of the country, serving as potential models for future car-light development.
According to an article by Patrick Sisson in Bloomberg CityLab, “A confluence of trends has made such projects both more financially viable and marketable — especially in the South and Sun Belt, where zoning rules are often more permissive but car dependency and the urge to sprawl can be just as powerful.”
With parking spots costing tens of thousands of dollars apiece to build, developers are finding it more attractive to build communities without sprawling parking lots. “The Terner Center for Housing Innovation at the University of California at Berkeley estimated that parking adds up to $36,000 per unit of new housing built in the state.”
Sisson describes developments in Charlotte, Tempe, and Houston that are drastically reducing parking and creating walkable and transit-oriented spaces. A proposed 17-acre development in east Houston by Concept Neighborhoods with little on-site only became possible after the city relaxed parking requirements in some parts of town, letting developers decide how much parking to build. In Miami, a new high-rise development next to the Douglas Road Metrorail station touts public amenities and ground-floor retail.
FULL STORY: Car-Free Living Takes Off in Car-Centric Cities
Study: Nearly Half of Portland TOD Residents Commute by Transit
People living in transit-oriented developments are more likely to ditch the car and opt for transit or walking, new research shows.
After Culdesac's success in Tempe, Mesa approves new 1,000-unit 'car-light' development
Culdesac Mesa will take the same transit-oriented approach with a compact, walkable design and access to transit and shared mobility options.
Which US cities have the most housing near transit?
Concentrating housing near frequent, reliable transit offers advantages to both residents and transit agencies, who can serve more riders more efficiently.
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.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association