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Raleigh joins ranks of cities with no costly parking mandates

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Raleigh, North Carolina became the 24th North American city confirmed to have eliminated minimum car parking requirements for most land-uses citywide. In a 7-1 vote on March 15th, 2022, Raleigh City Council approved a series of zoning amendments which flipped existing parking minimums to parking maximums, established bicycle parking requirements, and imposed environmental mitigations for any new developments which include excess parking.

The proposal was only lightly opposed with tired talking points from one community member and city councilor. But their admonishments and warnings were readily eclipsed by an excellent presentation from staff City Planner Jason Harden, well informed testimony by apprentice architect Jenn Truman, and fantastic supporting comments from Council Member Jonathan Melton and Mayor Pro Tem Nicole Stewart.

Jenn Truman testifies in support of eliminating costly parking mandates.

Staff and supporters of the parking reforms made the case that parking mandates contributed to the climate crisis and a lack of abundant affordable housing. Mayor Pro Tem Nicole Stewart made the case that ending parking minimums was not a radical approach, but rather was “listed as one of the lowest hanging fruit on recommended climate policy solutions” and is a “solution that costs the taxpayers nothing.”

Mayor Pro Tem Nicole Stewart supports parking reforms.

Innovative Mitigations for Excess Parking

Other municipalities should take a close look at the approach Raleigh has taken to parking maximums. Rather than set hard caps on the amount of parking new projects can contain, which might discourage or prevent developments, the city allows developers to exceed maximums, provided they take steps to mitigate the impacts of additional car parking.

In the urban parts of Raleigh, parking in excess of the maximum must be in a parking structure, 20% of it must be available to the general public or another property, and any requirements for EV ready stalls will be increased by 50 percent for these stalls.. These requirements aim to reduce runoff, heat effects, and wasted space.

Outside of urban areas, additional EV readiness is required for excess stalls and those spaces must either be in structures or contain landscaping and stormwater mitigations.

You can learn more about the specifics of the policy on the city detail page for Raleigh for our Parking Mandates Map or by watching Jason Harden’s presentation to Raleigh City Council.

Will Your City Be Next?

Parking reforms are sensible, simple, and effective policy changes to combat climate change, encourage abundant and affordable housing, and support cities with safe, sustainable transportation options for all.

Raleigh is just one, excellent, example of how to frame and implement a proposal to eliminate parking minimums. Learn about hundreds of other reforms to parking mandates on our map.

The Parking Reform Network exists to support advocates and practitioners in any field with “parking problems.” Support the network or become a member today.

Podcast: São Paulo has been a parking reform trailblazer

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The latest episode of Reinventing Parking is out and features an interview with three Brazilians, Clarisse Linke, Hannah Machado and Fernando Franco, to help us understand São Paulo’s bold parking reforms in the last 8 years or so. Listen here or subscribe to the podcast.

São Paulo has eliminated parking mandates (since 2014), instituted an innovative approach to discouraging excessive parking near transit, and has citywide on-street parking management with no paper or physical meters.

Paul Barter (top left), Fernando Franco (top right), Hannah Machado (bottom left) and Clarisse Linke (bottom right)

Clarisse Linke joined the conversation from Rio de Janeiro, where she is Country Director of the Brazil office of Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP Brazil).  Hannah Machado was in São Paulo and is Vice President of the Brazilian Institute of Architects.  Fernando Franco was also in São Paulo and is a Professor at the FAU McKenzie University and, importantly for our story, was Secretary of Urban Development of the Municipality of São Paulo between 2013 and 2016.

Hannah and Fernando were also among the co-authors of a book chapter on parking in São Paulo, in the book, Parking: an International Perspective, edited by Dorina Pojani, and several other people.

Reinventing Parking is the official podcast of the Parking Reform Network and is hosted by Paul Barter.

You can support this podcast and a parking reform movement. Join the network or donate today.

Bridgeport, CT joins growing list of cities with no costly car parking mandates

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On November 29, 2022 the Planning and Zoning Commission of Bridgeport, the largest city in Connecticut, adopted the Zone Bridgeport code update, a comprehensive zoning update which included a complete repeal of minimum car parking requirements for new developments.

Bridgeport now joins a rapidly growing cohort of cities that have removed these requirements. The Parking Reform Network is tracking this process and other efforts on the Parking Mandates Map. Check it out to see how other cities have improved their parking policy and to see a detailed report on Bridgeport’s changes or to submit a report on your own city.

Cover Image of Zone Bridgeport Code update

Bridgeport’s zoning update comes in the context of a statewide reform effort led by DesegregateCT to enact more equitable land use practices. Earlier in 2021, the Connecticut Legislature passed HB 6107, and became the 4th state to enact state-level parking legislation, and the first to affect all housing, including market-rate apartments not near transit.

The Parking Reform Network is an international organization with a mission to educate the public about the impact of parking policy on climate change, housing, and traffic. The network provides support and a community for activists and practitioners in any field that experiences “parking problems.” Support the network by donating or becoming a member.

Parking reform progresses in Raleigh, NC

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On Tuesday January 18th, Raleigh’s Text Change subcommittee approved zoning code language that would repeal costly car parking mandates citywide and apply parking maximums for many uses. The next step in the process, which was initiated by Raleigh city council in June, is for the proposal to be heard by the whole Planning Commission in February, after which it would go back to city council for approval and implementation.

Reforms to car parking requirements are increasingly common. The Parking Reform Network is tracking this process and other efforts on the Parking Mandates Map. Check it out to see how other cities have improved their parking policy and to see a detailed report on Raleigh’s campaign or to submit a report on your own city.

Raleigh, NC Skyline Photo by Higgins Spooner on Unsplash

Raleigh’s parking mandate repeal would be accomplished by simply replacing the word “min” with “max” in the table of parking requirements, however the proposal does exempt many of the land uses from strict maximum entitlements. In the High Cost of Free Parking, Donald Shoup suggests: “If we want to reduce traffic congestion, energy consumption, and air pollution, the simplest and most productive single reform of American zoning would be to declare that all existing off-street parking requirements are maximums rather than minimums, without changing any of the numbers…”

The Parking Reform Network is an international organization with a mission to educate the public about the impact of parking policy on climate change, housing, and traffic. The network provides support and a community for activists and practitioners in any field that experiences “parking problems.” Support the network by donating or becoming a member.

Win a signed copy of Parking and the City (and more) and support the Parking Reform Network

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If you’re interested in transportation, urbanism, climate change, or land use you don’t want to miss this opportunity to support the Parking Reform Network and win books signed by Donald Shoup, Todd Litman, Richard Willson, Nolan Gray, and more!

Donate Now For a Chance to Win!

The Parking Reform Network, which recently released an updated map of cities that have eliminated parking mandates, has partnered with Reinventing Transport’s Paul Barter to make the Reinventing Parking Podcast the official podcast of PRN. With our backing, the podcast will have monthly episodes featuring great parking reform news and case studies and interviews with the folks making a difference in this critical policy area.

We need $6,000 to produce a year’s worth of Reinventing Parking podcasts and you can help by donating to our campaign.

And to sweeten the deal, we’ve got a growing list of autographed books you can win! For every $10 you donate, you’ll be entered into a raffle to win one of these great prizes:

Win this copy of Parking and the City signed by Donald Shoup!

If you’re looking to become a member or renew your membership in the Parking Reform Network, your donation to the fundraiser can be applied towards a membership or renewal, too!

So don’t wait! Let’s tackle parking policy reform and have fun doing it, support the Parking Reform Network today!

Donate Now For a Chance to Win!