Shoreline Votes to Ditch Parking Mandates, Legalize Neighborhood Cafes and Stores
# In approving a unanimous update to its Comprehensive Plan, the Shoreline City Council is set to go well beyond the minimum requirements of state law in pursuit of creating additional housing options and more vibrant neighborhoods.
Purpose of Review Parking is a ubiquitous feature of the built environment, but its implications for public health are under-examined. This narrative review synthesizes literature to describe pathways through which parking may affect population health. Recent Findings We begin by contextualizing the issue, outlining key terminology, the sheer scale of land dedicated to parking, and the historical factors that led to this dominant land use. Next, we delineate four pathways linking parking with public health: 1) Promoting driving and car dependency, affecting air pollution, greenhouse-gas emissions, physical activity, traffic-related injuries and fatalities, and accessibility; 2) Creating impervious surfaces, with consequences for urban heat, flooding, water pollution, and green space; 3) Affecting housing affordability and associated health outcomes of this social determinant; and 4) Design, construction, and maintenance, the health impacts of which include on-street parking’s positive and negative impacts on safety for all roadway users, air-quality effects of parking’s construction and maintenance, and the potential for green parking lots to mitigate some health consequences of impervious surfaces. Summary While evidence supports each pathway, additional empirical research is needed to evaluate impacts of parking on public-health outcomes. As a dominant feature of the built environment with many health implications, parking warrants attention by public-health research and practice.
Is the Lot Half-Full or Half-Empty? Housing Advocates Rally to Eliminate Parking Minimums
The City Plan Commission last week heard from 21 residents — all but two of whom voiced support for eliminating minimum parking requirements for new development — and determined they’d take up the matter again at a special-called meeting on Jan. 16.
Lake Oswego to follow state directive to eliminate parking minimums; First Addition neighbors are concerned - NewsBreak
The residential development landscape has changed considerably in the last few years. First, the state of Oregon mandated the elimination of exclusive sin
Image Credit: Michael Anton. By Mark Chiusano There are countless ways to demonstrate the forever-controversial nature of alternate side parking (ASP) in New York City, but only one involves Mayor Ed Koch’s voice whining from a mechanical street sweeper. That was the gimmick the then-mayor unveiled in 1988 to encourage illegally parked cars to move, so the street sweepers could clean. “Get it outta here,” his tape-recorded voice implored. It’s just one example of how alternate side parking – the requirement for
Dallas delays vote on eliminating parking minimums
Dallas residents will have to wait to see whether the city will move forward with citywide changes to off-street parking after the City Plan Commission deferred the issue Thursday. After divided comments on whether Dallas should eliminate broad requirements that developers build a certain number of off-street parking spaces, commissioners voted to keep the public hearing open until a special ...
How Single-Stair Reform Can Help Unlock Incremental Housing
Modern zoning, building and fire codes make it impossible to build many of the types of housing that people actually want to live in. Reforming those codes to allow for single-stair construction can help undo some of this damage.
Congressman Robert Garcia Announces Launch of Pro-Housing “YIMBY” Caucus to Tackle Affordable Housing Shortage
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Robert Garcia (CA-42) announced the launch of the pro-housing Yes In My Back Yard (YIMBY) Caucus to promote the development of affordable housing units nationwide.
Tale of Two Cities: How Boston hopes Austin can solve its housing crisis
Boston and Austin, Texas, share more than just a rhyme in their names. Both cities face the stiff housing crunch affecting cities nationwide. Both have booming tech and biotech sectors. And both are home to tens of thousands of students, many of whom compete for apartments with year-round residents. But where Boston’s average rent is up 2.4% from a year ago, Austin’s rents are falling, ...
Here's what NYC developers could actually build through Mayor Adams' new housing plan
The American Institute of Architects' New York chapter shared renderings of the types of new housing that would be permitted under the mayor’s proposed zoning changes.
How Close Is Dallas to Eliminating Its Parking Requirements?
Dallas has been discussing the parking requirements in its city code for going on five years. There now seems to be momentum to rethink the city's relationship with cars.
New York City Approves a Plan to Create 80,000 New Homes
The City Council passed a major housing plan known as “City of Yes.” Experts and elected officials say it is only a first step to address the housing crisis.
Revised plan for Market Square keeps vehicular traffic, bans parking
A revised plan to revamp Downtown’s Market Square would permit traffic on one side while banning parking altogether in an effort to create more space...
Spokane’s Step-by-Step Approach to Repealing Parking Mandates
Build a bipartisan coalition. Launch a pilot project. Speak to the core issues facing your community. That’s how Spokane, Washington, was able to eliminate costly parking mandates. Here's the full story.
How Parking Will Drive the Coming Adams-Council Housing Development Deal
Eliminating mandates to create spots for cars is key to creating more apartments in the mayor’s sweeping City of Yes proposal heading to a crucial vote Thursday — but a compromise that could halve new housing is in the works.
Corner Stores Mount a Comeback in Residential Neighborhoods
Small-scale neighborhood retail is staging a post-Covid revival in many cities, thanks to a mix of zoning reforms, shopping trends and local incentives.