Parking spot or park? It’s PARK(ing) Day


Hundreds of cities around the world hold PARK(ing) Day on the third Friday in September where dozens of parking spots that are usually reserved for stationary, empty cars are transformed into places for people. Here’s a look at a few of the “parklets” scattered around our office in Washington, DC and what their creators had to say about them.

Creative Placemaking

Watch the recorded webinar: Understanding parking demand in cities

Many cities and towns recognize that their parking requirements and regulations are outdated, but they struggle in taking the first step toward reform. This process often begins by auditing the existing supply and understanding how it’s being used, which can be a major undertaking. On July 12, 2017, State Smart Transportation Initiative hosted a webinar … Continued

DOT Innovation

A new newsletter about creating great, equitable TOD

Introducing a new weekly newsletter all about the best practices in transit-oriented development.

TODresources.org is home to a trove of information about equitable transit-oriented development projects from across the country. These resources showcase the best, most innovate approaches to TOD nationwide. We want to better highlight those strategies and help more people across the country use them in the year to come.

Uncategorized

Watch the recorded kickoff discussion of “Empty Spaces”

On Tuesday we released Empty Spaces, new research looking at the real parking needed at five transit-oriented developments (TODs). The report, produced in partnership the University of Utah, looks at how much less parking is required at TOD than standard engineering guidelines suggest, and how many fewer vehicle trips are generated than those guidelines estimate.

Transportation

Coming soon: new research on parking requirements at TOD stations

Research has shown development near transit stations requires less parking than other kinds of development. Yet most engineering guidelines are unclear exactly how much less parking is needed. Oversupply of parking takes up valuable land, raises the cost of development, and misses a key opportunity. Building the right amount of parking can help communities get … Continued

Economic development Transportation

California governor signs bill to ease parking requirements and create more affordable housing

brown-parking
On Friday California Governor Jerry Brown signed into a law a bill that will help create more affordable housing by easing parking requirements for developers.

The legislation, Assembly Bill (AB) 744, Planning and Zoning: Density Bonus, will allow developers to request reduced minimum parking requirements within affordable housing projects. It also amends the parking ratio for affordable housing and senior housing to require no more the 0.5 parking spaces per unit, and amends the ratio for special needs housing to require no more than 0.3 parking spaces per unit.

Developers seeking to use these ratios must meet established guidelines regarding percentage of affordable units in the project, distance and access to a transit stop, availability of paratransit services, and access to fixed bus route services. The emphasis on transit access will bolster other efforts to make public transportation and active transportation options safer, more convenient, and more accessible for low-income families.

LOCUS

County of Kauaʻi, HI seeks parking solutions for Līhu’e Town Core

lihue2A road through Līhu’e, HI. Photo by Melissa Emmons via Flickr

The County of Kaua‘i is working to revitalize the Līhu‘e Town Core and position Rice Street as the main street of Kaua‘i. The County’s success, however, largely depends on managing parking in the area. To that end, County officials met in Līhu‘e with representatives from Smart Growth America on May 6 and 7, 2014 as part of a free, grant-funded technical assistance program.

“We are grateful to Smart Growth America for partnering with our team so that we can involve the entire community in this effort,” said Mayor Bernard Carvalho, Jr. “Creating better parking solutions for the Līhu‘e’s Town Core is important to the revitalization of this area. We’ll use lessons learned and apply them to other parts of our island. It’s a great win-win for all concerned.”

Technical assistance