Crews will soon begin installing metered parking on many of the city's free curbside parking spaces in an effort to move residents away from private cars.
"Next month, Seattle crews plan to begin installing pay stations for 2,600 curbside spots in the South Lake Union neighborhood, most of which are now free. The city is trying a different game plan -- and set of rules -- for those spots, which may set the tone for parking restrictions throughout Seattle.
It's the latest in an incremental but sweeping plan to get Seattleites out of their cars. Officials say cheap and easy parking encourages driving, and commuters who search for it create their own congestion.
City Hall's strategy is to offer just enough parking to keep shoppers and diners coming to neighborhood businesses, yet keep it scarce enough to push those who work there onto buses, sidewalks or bicycles."
"Some neighborhood activists complain that the city's goals are unrealistic, at least until there's more convenient public transportation in Seattle.
"The city's living in a planner's fantasy that ... if you make it hard to park people will magically walk or ride their bike," said Matt Fox, a longtime activist in the University District, where the city has substantially reduced free parking.
"Until the transit alternatives are in place, I think this is a punitive approach that's going to make people's lives really miserable." "
FULL STORY: Seattle's strategy to solve parking pinch: Squeeze commuters
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning
SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.
Vehicle-related Deaths Drop 29% in Richmond, VA
The seventh year of the city's Vision Zero strategy also cut the number of people killed in alcohol-related crashes by half.
The EV “Charging Divide” Plaguing Rural America
With “the deck stacked” against rural areas, will the great electric American road trip ever be a reality?
Judge Halts Brooklyn Bike Lane Removal
Lawyers must prove the city was not acting “arbitrarily, capriciously, and illegally” in ordering the hasty removal.
Engineers Gave America's Roads an Almost Failing Grade — Why Aren't We Fixing Them?
With over a trillion dollars spent on roads that are still falling apart, advocates propose a new “fix it first” framework.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Borough of Carlisle
Smith Gee Studio
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)