Atlanta Advances Automobile Alternatives; Parking Minimums Persist

The Atlanta City Council passed a pair of ordinances recently to improve conditions for modes other than cars, but a proposal to remove parking requirements for development around the Atlanta Beltline are in limbo.

1 minute read

August 29, 2023, 6:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Pedestrians and people on bikes on Atlanta BeltLine multiuse trail

Christopher V Jones / Atlanta BeltLine

A newly approved ordinance is Atlanta will prohibit “suburban-style drive-thrus and drive-ups and gas pumps near the Beltline,” according to an article by Thomas Wheatley for Axios Atlanta. The changes are part of “a nearly $5 billion public investment designed to make Atlanta easier to access without a car,” adds Wheatley.

Making less progress, however, is a similar ordinance that would have removed parking minimums with one-half mile of the Beltline. According to Wheatley, “The city and some neighborhoods have used so-called ‘parking minimums’ policies to push back against problem bars and other nightlife businesses.”

Writing for ThreadAtl, Darin Givens provides additional insight into the failure of the parking reform legislation, noting that cities around the country are rolling back parking requirements to reduce car dependency, greenhouse gas emissions, and lower the cost of housing.

Tuesday, August 22, 2023 in ThreadAtl

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

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

July 9, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Bend, Oregon

Bend, Oregon Zoning Reforms Prioritize Small-Scale Housing

The city altered its zoning code to allow multi-family housing and eliminated parking mandates citywide.

6 hours ago - Strong Towns

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

7 hours ago - Smart Cities Dive

Green Skid Row mural satirizing city limit sign in downtown Los Angeles, California.

LA Denies Basic Services to Unhoused Residents

The city has repeatedly failed to respond to requests for trash pickup at encampment sites, and eliminated a program that provided mobile showers and toilets.

July 14 - Los Angeles Public Press