Other local governments and regions can learn from a range of strategies such as zoning changes, encouraging EVs and making freight systems more efficient.

A bill pushed by Bothell Rep. Davina Duerr and approved by the Washington legislature this week would prioritize trees when retention policies come into conflict with local parking mandates.

A bill pushed by Bothell Rep. Davina Duerr and approved by the Washington legislature this week would prioritize trees when retention policies come into conflict with local parking mandates.

A portion of an underutilized city-owned parking lot on Grand Rapids’ west side is set to be turned into a community garden this May.

Local leaders in Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que. are shocked, surprised and even angered over a change in plans for the long-awaited future hospital.

A new index scores U.S. cities by the amount of land they provide for parking. Sunbelt cities top the list

Major changes to planning laws and regulations relating to the use of public spaces is needed to encourage greener transport use.  The Transport Planning Society (TPS) has published a new report, Just The Ticket!, which outlines no less…

Major changes to planning laws and regulations relating to the use of public spaces is needed to encourage greener transport use.  The Transport Planning Society (TPS) has published a new report, Just The Ticket!, which outlines no less…

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This story was supported by the Economic Hardship Reporting Project. In the beginning, parking lots were created to curb chaos on the road. But climate change has turned that dynamic on its head. Since the 1920s a little-known policy called parking minimums has shaped a large facet of American life. In major cities, this meant that any type of building — apartments, banks, or shopping malls — needed to reserve a certain amount of parking spaces to accommodate anyone who might visit.  But transportation makes up almost one-third of carbon emissions in the U.S. and cars represent a significant portion of those emissions. As the country attempts to aggressively cut carbon emissions, reducing dependence on fossil fuels will also mean rethinking what transportation and public space look like, especially in cities. Earlier this month, the city of Austin, Texas, became the latest community to eliminate parking minimums and is now the largest city in the U.S. to do so.  “If we want half of all trips to be in something other than a car, then we can’t, as a city, in my opinion, mandate that every home or business have at least one parking space for each resident or customer,” said Zohaib Qadri, the Austin city council member who introduced the measure. Reducing dependency on cars was a huge push for the initiative in Austin, said Qadri, who hopes the measure also will lead to a more sustainable city. “Climate change is here,” said Qadri. “And we’re only going to make it worse by clinging to these very climate unfriendly and unsustainable transportation habits of the 20th century.” The elimination of this seemingly innocuous law could pave the way for cities to build denser housing, increase public transit options, and reduce their carbon emissions, according to Donald Shoup, an

Affordable housing advocates, developers and climate activists say rules requiring a minimum amount of parking spaces on new projects drives up construction costs and enables a dependency on vehicles…

Minimum parking requirements are a secret but significant source of carbon emissions from transportation.

A study shows large-scale parking canopies would be economically beneficial

Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante is proposing the creation of 'sponge roads' to adapt to climate change, which would involve making certain streets more permeable, for example by removing asphalt and therefore parking spaces.

Transportation is the largest sector of planet-warming gases, yet Americans won't let go of their cars. Autos can mean freedom, but so can leaving them behind.

“The more parking you provide, the more likely people will be to own a car,” said author Henry Grabar on a webinar.

But parking cash-out laws can help more workers use climate-friendly transit instead of cars.