Today, there are almost three and a half parking spaces for every car in the United States. Outdated minimum parking requirements stand at the heart of this excess parking, wasting land in the suburbs and thwarting economic development in urban centers. The presentation explains the problems with minimum parking requirements and shows how to reform them.
Drawing on his new book, Parking Reform Made Easy, Dr. Willson illustrates a 12-step parking requirement reform process with practical examples. This process helps stakeholders answer the question of how much parking, if any, should be required in zoning codes. The parking reform process emphasizes good quality parking data, an understanding of future trends affecting parking use, and a series of technical and policy adjustment factors.
The presentation also addresses ways of managing parking reform through challenging community and political processes. In the end, parking requirements are a policy choice, not a technical calculation.
The presentation was useful to land use and transportation planners, economic developers, housing developers, designers, policy makers, and community activists.
More information on Parking Reform Made Easy is available at http://islandpress.org/ip/books/book/islandpress/P/bo8793591.html
Richard Willson’s research concerns parking requirements, parking management, climate change planning, and transit-oriented development. His book, Parking Reform Made Easy, was published by Island Press in 2013. Dr. Willson’s parking research has appeared in the Journal of the American Planning Association, Transportation, Regional Science and Urban Economics, Transportation Research A and others. He also consults with regional and local agencies, such as the Bay Area Rapid Transit District, local cities, and developers of urban infill projects. Prior to his academic career, he was a transportation planner for the City of Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency. Dr. Willson holds a Ph.D. in urban planning from the University of California, Los Angeles, a Masters of Planning from the University of Southern California, a Bachelor’s of Environmental Studies from the University of Waterloo, and is a Fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners.