In the Pacific Northwest, and elsewhere, excessive parking requirements dictate the form and footprint of buildings, mostly to the detriment of urban environments. In a lavish photo essay, Alyse Nelson explores the damage inflicted by parking laws.
"Cars have shaped much of the North American West, including Cascadia, where drive-through restaurants, shopping centers, highway strip malls, and single-family neighborhoods miles from commercial services dominate much of the urban and suburban landscape," observes Nelson. "Less obvious to the casual observer is the impact that parking regulations have had on architectural forms."
"This photo essay looks at some of the ugly architecture in Cascadia that has resulted from parking minimums. Many of the photos were sent in by readers who responded to our request for examples from their communities."
What follows is a lengthy look at the ugly architecture found in Cascadia’s cities and towns, from "ubiquitous seas of suburban parking" to the “dingbat buildings” common throughout the West Coast.
Read the full story: Ugly by Law
Asheville Could Eliminate Parking Minimums
The city is working on a multiyear overhaul of its Unified Development Ordinance.
Indianapolis rents grew by 30% since 2020
The metro area has a shortage of roughly 137,000 affordable homes for the lowest-income households.
Baltimore Seeks to Stem Population Loss by Eliminating Parking Requirements, Legalizing Single-Stair Buildings
A package of zoning reforms is aimed at making it easier to build and redevelop housing to draw people back to the city, which has been losing population steadily.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.
Move over, LA: St. Louis gears up for Olympics, invests millions in downtown redevelopment
The Missouri city will host the 2028 Olympic soccer group stage and knockout matches.
MTA sends Dem leaders a wish list to mend Trump’s damages
Requests include exempting new train and bus components from tariffs and increasing transit security funding.
Mass. votes against statewide minimum lot size for single-family homes
Over 2 million residents voted on Question 7; it was decided by just over 30,000 votes.
Maryland’s $15 billion bridge project gains key approval
The Maryland Transit Authority said the project will create over 60,000 jobs and add $23 billion to the local economy.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello