Parking As A Neighborhood Asset

Why wait for rail when community parking can help create pedestrian-oriented areas, writes Mott Smith.

1 minute read

April 28, 2005, 9:00 AM PDT

"The solution is not, as many have suggested, to eliminate parking from our playbooks. Most people in the region still drive for most trips. So to create parking-free zones in todays Los Angeles would be tantamount to creating people-free zones.

Rather, we suggest approaching parking as a neighborhood essential rather than an ad-hoc 'mitigation' for the impact of individual projects. With good urban design and effective zoning mechanisms in place, community parking can be more effective even than a transit station in creating the incentives to develop pedestrian-oriented uses in a neighborhood."

Thanks to Chris Steins

Read the full story: Former TPR Editor Mott Smith Argues Against One-Size-Fits-All City Parking Requirements

Wednesday, April 27, 2005 in The Planning Report

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