The Texas capital’s new parking law signals a shift in thinking about the relationship between land use, transportation, and housing affordability.

Parking reform’s steady march may have reached a tipping point as Austin became the latest city—and one of the largest—to remove parking requirements citywide. As Kea Wilson writes in Streetsblog, the decision acknowledges parking’s role in perpetuating sprawl and driving up housing costs and is part of the city’s effort to stimulate enough housing production to accommodate its rapidly growing population.
Wilson notes that “Eliminating parking minimums alone, of course, won’t erase car dependency in Austin — and it may not dramatically slow the pace at which developers are building car storage.” But promoting denser development with less parking and more access to transit could increase affordability and help the city reach its goal to get half of the population commuting by transit or other non-car modes within the next two decades.
Read more about this hot topic at the parking reform tag.
FULL STORY: Every Growing City Should Heed Austin’s New Parking Law

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series
The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.

Driving Equity and Clean Air: California Invests in Greener School Transportation
California has awarded $500 million to fund 1,000 zero-emission school buses and chargers for educational agencies as part of its effort to reduce pollution, improve student health, and accelerate the transition to clean transportation.

Congress Moves to End Reconnecting Communities and Related Grants
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee moved to rescind funding for the Neighborhood Equity and Access program, which funds highway removals, freeway caps, transit projects, pedestrian infrastructure, and more.

From Throughway to Public Space: Taking Back the American Street
How the Covid-19 pandemic taught us new ways to reclaim city streets from cars.
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