Fewer cars on the road, less driving, why not fewer parking spots? Cities like D.C., L.A., Denver, Philadelphia are responding by reducing or eliminating parking minimums, while Portland, which had already eliminated them, are bringing them back.

Calling it "a profound shift" across the U.S., Kris Hudson writes primarily of the proposed zoning change in the District of Columbia [also described here] that would waive "requirements that new buildings near its 40 rail-transit stops include parking spaces, joining a growing list of cities that are responding to shrinking car ownership by residents of dense neighborhoods."
Portland was way ahead of the pack, perhaps too ahead. It waived "some minimum-parking requirements in the 1980s," but after a study "last year found that 70% of residents in eight big apartment complexes near various Portland rail stops owned at least one car, (it) reintroduced minimum parking requirements for new residential buildings of 30 units or more near rail stops".
The parking reform effort in D.C. is made possible by the success of the 37-year-old heavy rail system, Metro, that has enabled 39% of the city's residents in 2011 to be carless. That compares with 25% in 1960. Only New York City has a higher percentage - 56%.
Harriet Tregoning, director of the city's Office of Planning, said that scaling back requirements near Metro stops is overdue.
While Hudson writes, "Nationally, car ownership has risen in recent decades. According to census data, 9.3% of U.S. households had no car in 2011, down from 10.3% in 2000 and 13% in 1990", it was reported here on June 20 that "total auto ownership peaked in 2008 according to a new report by Michael Sivak of the University of Michigan's Transportation Research Institute".
For one suggestion for how to appease opponents of parking reform, see Matthew Yglesias's recent post on the topic for Slate.
Note from Wall Street Journal: "Subscriber-only content will be available to non-subscribers for up to seven days after (July 09)".
FULL STORY: Cities Cut Parking Mandates

Planning for Congestion Relief
The third and final installment of Planetizen's examination of the role of the planning profession in both perpetuating and solving traffic congestion.

Minneapolis Housing Plan a Success—Not for the Reason You Think
Housing advocates praise the city’s move to eliminate single-family zoning by legalizing triplexes on single-family lots, but that isn’t why housing construction is growing.

New White House Housing Initiative Includes Zoning Reform Incentives
The Biden administration this morning released a new program of actions intended to spur housing construction around the United States.

Study: Most of Vancouver Is a ‘15-Minute City’
A large majority of Vancouver residents can access a grocery store in 15 minutes or less by bicycle or on foot.

Urban Design, Transport, and Health
The Lancet medical journal published a series of articles that explore how to evaluate and guide urban planning decisions to create healthy and sustainable cities. Live long and prosper!

Detroit Bike Share Celebrates Five Years
In its five years of operation, Detroit’s MoGo bikeshare has added electric and adaptive bikes to its fleet of more than 600 bikes.
Urban Planning Partners
Sandy City
Ada County Highway District
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Redwood City
City of Rohnert Park
City of Hot Springs
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.
Hand Drawing Master Plans
This course aims to provide an introduction into Urban Design Sketching focused on how to hand draw master plans using a mix of colored markers.