Research

The Diffusion of Parking Reform in the US: How and Why Now?

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My conversation with PRN President Tony Jordan last December was pivotal in addressing my master’s thesis research question: How do the factors observed in individual municipalities support and/or explain observed patterns of widespread reform adoption?

My study, which combines quantitative data and interviews with city officials and advocates, reveals the diverse motivations and challenges behind these reforms.

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Building a U.S. Parking Minimums Database

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Using data to inform and reform policies isn’t new. However, in order to analyze data, you need to be able to access the data — even better if it’s already processed and formatted. There’s no unified database for parking minimums in the United States, so we were tasked to build one using automation to speed up the data parsing.

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A congested urban street showcasing car drivers cruising for limited on-street parking

Federal Highway Administration Releases New Findings on Parking Cruising

Leave a Comment / Curb Managment, Performance Pricing, Research / By

Using GPS breadcrumb data from smartphones, a recent study found that cruising for parking affects nearly 10% of city traffic during peak hours. This is great news, because with better information, we can advocate more successfully for parking reform in our communities.

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Figure 2: Development possible on existing parking lots (based on current zoning). 82nd Ave between Foster & Powell.

How Much of Portland is Used for Off Street Parking?

4 Comments / Map, Research / By

Areas with concentrations of parking represent areas with concentrations of destinations. By concentrating people instead of cars in these areas, cities can begin to act on climate and housing goals simultaneously. Converting parking lots to housing creates climate resilience by removing asphalt surfaces that contribute to urban heat while also reducing vehicle miles traveled. A portion of these buildings that replace parking lots will have green roofs, which help with onsite water management and, again, reduced urban heat.

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Thomas Carpenito on his bike.

Meet Thomas Carpenito, Creator of the Parking Lot Map

Leave a Comment / Activism, Interview, Map, Research / By

We know parking lots take up too much valuable land in our communities. But how much land, exactly? Parking Reform Network researcher Thomas Carpenito wondered how he could find out — and how he could make that data make sense to people.  Parking Reform Network: How did you first become interested in parking reform?  Thomas

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