In Washington D.C., and cities across the U.S., many planners believe the decline in driving and auto ownership presages a major reshaping of urban land use. As the demand for parking spaces wanes, how will our streets and blocks change?
"The clamor for more spaces continues from some quarters of [D.C.], beating back [Planning Director Harriet] Tregoning’s drive this year to unhitch developers from mandates to create more parking when they put up new buildings," notes Ashley Halsey III. "But by the end of the 21st century, parking garages may go the way of the horse stables that were an omnipresent part of the city 100 years ago."
“Shared cars might be driven 95 percent of the time and parked 5 percent of the time. That’s clearly where we’re headed,” Tregoning said. “If the 95-5 happens, whole streets that now have parking on them won’t need it. We’ll have wider sidewalks. We’ll have more bike parking. It will be really lovely.”
FULL STORY: The search for a parking spot
New York Parking Is a Pricey but Valued Amenity
In a city where owning a car can be an expensive burden, off-street parking spaces are still highly desired commodities.
What Happens If Parking Structures Become Obsolete?
An architect makes the case for future-proofing new parking garages so they can easily shift to other uses in a future with fewer cars.
New Hampshire House Passes Parking Reform Bill
The revised bill, which caps parking requirements at one spot per residential unit and eliminates exemptions, will go back to the Senate for a new vote.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
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.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association