Revolutionizing Urban Design for a Sustainable Future
In the ongoing battle against climate change, there is one unlikely hero quietly reshaping our cities – parking reform. While often overlooked, the policies governing parking have a profound impact on the sustainability and livability of our communities. As the president of the Parking Reform Network, Tony Jordan, was recently named one of the Grist 50 top climate leaders of 2024, it’s time to shed light on the critical role parking plays in our collective climate action efforts.
Parking reform is the use of policies and activism to discourage the building of excessive parking supply and encourage more equitable, efficient, and sustainable management of existing parking. This may sound mundane, but the implications are anything but. By rethinking our approach to parking, we can unlock transformative changes that address the root causes of urban environmental challenges.
1. Reducing Urban Sprawl
Minimum parking requirements have been a driving force behind the sprawling, car-centric development patterns that dominate much of the modern landscape. When cities mandate that every new building must provide a certain number of parking spaces, regardless of the actual demand, it encourages the creation of vast swaths of underutilized asphalt.
This not only consumes valuable land that could be used for housing, businesses, or green spaces, but it also significantly increases the distances people must travel to reach their destinations. Longer commutes and more dispersed development patterns translate directly to higher greenhouse gas emissions and resource consumption.
By abolishing these arbitrary parking minimums, cities can incentivize more compact, mixed-use development patterns. This not only conserves land and natural habitats, but also reduces travel distances, cutting down on emissions, resource use, and energy usage. It’s a win-win for the climate and community livability.
2. Decreasing Car Dependency
When land that was once reserved exclusively for parking is freed up for more productive uses, it naturally reduces the necessity of being so car-dependent. This nudges people towards more sustainable and less carbon-intensive transportation alternatives, such as public transit, walking, and biking.
The Parking Reform Network has documented numerous examples of cities that have lifted their parking mandates, only to see an increase in the construction of new housing units. In Buffalo, New York, for instance, a majority of the homes built after the city’s parking reform would have been illegal under the previous requirements.
By removing the artificial constraint of mandatory parking, developers can build more housing in the same footprint, reducing the need for personal vehicles. This, in turn, encourages residents to explore more eco-friendly mobility options, further reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
3. Cutting Down on Traffic Congestion
Parking reform isn’t just about reducing the overall supply of parking – it’s also about managing the existing inventory more effectively. One key strategy is the implementation of Shoup’s “85% rule,” which suggests that cities should adjust parking prices to achieve about 85% occupancy, ensuring that 1-2 spaces per block typically remain available.
This level of utilization reduces the need for cars to circle blocks searching for parking, a phenomenon known as “parking cruising.” The fewer cars engaged in this unnecessary behavior, the less wasted emissions we have clogging our streets.
By appropriately pricing the curb, cities can incentivize drivers to park in the most efficient locations, reducing traffic congestion and improving the flow of both people and goods. This, in turn, cuts down on the pollutants associated with stop-and-go traffic, further contributing to climate action efforts.
4. Increasing Green Spaces
Parking lots, with their expansive paved surfaces, represent a significant lost opportunity for cities aiming to enhance their ecological resilience. Where once stood asphalt, there could now be thriving green spaces, parks, and other natural habitats.
Transforming underutilized parking areas into these carbon-sequestering landscapes not only helps to mitigate the urban heat island effect, but it also plays a crucial role in increasing local biodiversity. By revitalizing these spaces, cities can create vibrant, livable communities that are better equipped to adapt to the challenges of climate change.
5. Lowering Construction Emissions
The resources required to construct and maintain parking structures, especially underground parking garages, are substantial. From the energy-intensive materials like concrete and steel to the emissions generated during the building process, the environmental toll of these facilities is significant.
By abolishing parking mandates, cities can reduce the artificially created demand for structured parking, allowing them to cut back on construction-related CO2 emissions. This not only benefits the climate but also frees up valuable resources that can be redirected towards more sustainable infrastructure projects.
6. Reducing Urban Heat Island Effects
Parking lots, with their heat-conducting materials, contribute to the urban heat island effect – a phenomenon where urban areas experience higher temperatures compared to their surrounding rural counterparts. This, in turn, exacerbates the challenges of stormwater management and urban flooding, issues that will only worsen as the climate continues to change.
By reforming parking policies and reducing the overall footprint of these paved surfaces, cities can take a significant step towards mitigating the urban heat island effect. This, in turn, enhances their resilience and adaptability in the face of growing climate challenges, such as extreme heat waves and heavy precipitation events.
7. Improving Stormwater Management and Reducing Urban Flooding
Large non-porous surfaces like parking lots are a major contributor to stormwater runoff and urban flooding. By removing parking minimums and managing curbs efficiently, cities can free up land for permeable surfaces, reducing flood risks and saving money on costly stormwater infrastructure.
As noted in a Strong Towns article, this approach improves both financial and environmental resilience. It allows cities to better manage the impacts of climate change-induced extreme weather events, while also reducing the greenhouse gas emissions associated with traditional stormwater management solutions.
8. Promoting Carpooling and Car Sharing
Finally, by appropriately incorporating the true costs of parking into the prices, cities can incentivize more efficient utilization of cars. This, in turn, makes carpooling and car sharing more financially attractive, reducing the overall number of vehicles on the road and the associated emissions.
When drivers are faced with the true costs of parking, they are more likely to explore alternatives that maximize the use of each vehicle. This shift in behavior can have a significant impact on a community’s carbon footprint, contributing to the broader goals of climate action and sustainability.
The benefits of parking reform are integral to our collective efforts to fight climate change and build a more sustainable future. The recognition of Tony Jordan, the president of the Parking Reform Network, as one of the Grist 50 climate leaders for 2024 is a clear affirmation of the critical role that parking policy plays in the diverse toolset needed to tackle our climate predicament.
As individuals, we can all contribute to this movement by engaging with our local policymakers, attending and participating in city planning meetings, or starting a local parking reform coalition within our networks. More than 70 cities have already taken bold steps in this direction, and the momentum is only growing.
The time to act is now. By reforming parking policies, we can unlock a world of possibilities for creating more livable, sustainable, and climate-resilient communities. Let’s come together and transform the way we think about parking, for the sake of our planet and future generations.
