Maps: How Much of Your City is Parking?

A set of maps released by the Parking Reform Network highlights how much land is dedicated to parking in 50 U.S. cities, in large part because of minimum parking requirements, writes Marie Patino in Bloomberg CityLab.

According to the Parking Reform Network, “The worst-performing city analyzed is Arlington, Texas, with a parking score of 100, and 42% of the central city dedicated to parking.” Las Vegas is not far behind, with 32 percent of its central city dedicated to parking. “At the opposite end of the spectrum, San Francisco dedicates 4% of its central city to parking.” 

As Patino explains, “The project is intended to put a fine point on just how much developable land in the US is occupied as space for nonmoving cars, and to provide a tool for advocates as more cities reconsider reforming their parking policies.”

Patino describes the recent trend to reverse these mandates and encourage denser development, also chronicled here. According to the article, “The Parking Reform Network has identified over 300 cities that have implemented, proposed, passed or planned some kind of parking reform, and 50 cities that have repealed parking minimum requirements citywide altogether.”