The "9x18" proposal by the Institute for Public Architecture provides a lesson in the relationship between parking requirements and the cost of housing.
New York Times Architecture Critic Michael Kimmelman details the "9 x 18" proposal, as created by Miriam Peterson, Sagi Golan and Nathan Rich, fellows at the Institute for Public Architecture.
The dimensions, 9x18, total 162 square feet or the size of a parking space. Here, Kimmelman explains the appeal of the proposal: "I’m intrigued by their proposal, '9 x 18,' because it’s about more than apartment buildings plopped onto vacant land. It considers how parking spaces — mandated in outmoded zoning regulations, prolific at public housing sites — might be leveraged into something more ambitious, something that encourages a mix of housing in active neighborhoods with accessible transit, public services and lively streets. In effect, the proposal trades asphalt for housing and amenities."
According to Kimmelman, the "9x18" proposal capitalizes on the currently onerous parking requirements found in the zoning code for many parts of the city. Specifically, "[it] calls for a new regulation that would tie the number of required parking spaces to the number and size of apartments, their affordability and proximity to mass transit."
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