Explore the reforms of over than 1400 cities on the map below. Click the info icon in the upper right corner, or scroll down on this page, for definitions and insights. You can submit an update or new report here and send feedback to map@parkingreform.org

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This project was made possible with the help of many people, it is based on “A Map of Cities That Got Rid of Parking Minimums” initially published by StrongTowns in November 2015.

Costly car parking mandates are required for housing and commercial uses in most North American cities and towns. Over the last century, these costly requirements have contributed to urban sprawl, lack of abundant and affordable housing, car dependency, and climate change. In recent years, however, many places have implemented reforms to these mandates, exempting new buildings from parking. Sometimes these reforms are limited to certain streets or businesses, sometimes to particular land uses, and sometimes based on requirements like proximity to transit or inclusion of affordable housing, but it’s clear that parking reform has momentum!

Key Takeaways

  • A very large number of cities have eliminated minimum requirements for a very small portion of their communities. Of the 200 examined codes, approximately 20% have abolished or reduced parking mandates citywide. The remainder have eliminated parking requirements in specific areas such as a central business district, main street, or historic district. In fact, several codes limited parking reforms to two to four blocks within a downtown or commercial district, as seen below. Eliminating minimum parking requirements is progress no matter which way you cut it, but limiting it to such an insignificant area also limits the positive impacts of these policies. Cities with such boundaries should consider expanding them to mirror the pace of their population, density, and development growth.
One example of a small downtown district
Another example of a district with parking exemptions
  • Parking reform heavily leans toward commercial land uses. More often than not, parking requirements for commercial land uses are the first to go. Nearly every map entry eliminates mandates for commercial/retail development, facilitating walkable downtowns and commercial districts, but residential reform is just as important and has much more conservative parking ratios. Parking requirements for residential land uses are typically reserved for individuals and remain vacant for large portions of the day. Tackling residential parking requirements remains a major opportunity in the parking reform movement.
  • Parking maximums are not uncommon. Parking maximums (a required cap on the total number of parking spaces constructed) have been a polarizing reform strategy in recent years due to concerns surrounding developer push-back and vehicle access limitations. But with 45 code entries–many of which being in communities with under 50,000 people–they seem to be less controversial than anticipated. One of the many benefits of having a crowdsourced map is that communities adopting bold and progressive reforms can share their accomplishments, encourage others to do the same, and create a cycle of parking reform throughout the country. But don’t take our word for it, check out the map to read more about these policies and check out what’s new below.

Definitions

What does “implementation stage” mean?

What does “affected land use” mean?

  • Commercial – the reform applies to commercial uses
  • Industrial – the reform applies to industrial uses
  • Other – the reform applies to other uses (eg: schools, churches, arenas)
  • Low-Density Residential – the reform applies to single family homes, duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes…
  • Multi-Family Residential – the reform applies to apartment buildings, midrise, etc.
  • High-Density Residential – the reform applies to very large apartments, condos, towers.

What does “Scope of Reform” mean?

What does “Policy Change” mean?