The State of US Parking Reform
Sample Cities Across The Country
After decades of enforcing parking minimums the US has too much parking. So much parking that we’ve demolished entire neighborhoods and created large spaces of nothingness in our cities. Many municipalities (even the ones on this list) have enacted parking reforms by abolishing arbitrary parking minimums in lieu of smart city planning and smart investment in public transit. Parking data for each city is from the PRN Parking Reform map and does not include street parking. I’ve also included local, regional, and national passenger rail connections (if available) for each city.
Anyway, here’s the profiles of some notable city samples;
Columbus, OH // pop. 905,672
24 uncovered car parks (most in the US)
27% of city is parking lot
🎉 Columbus has eliminated all downtown parking minimums and requirements
🎉 Illegal to build parking lots downtown
🙁Passenger rail? NO
Tulsa, OK // pop. 413,066
29% of city is parking lot
🎉No parking minimums downtown
😬Parking minimums cut by 50% in surrounding districts
🙁Passenger rail? NO
Arlington, TX // pop. 394,218
42% of city is parking lot
🙁No parking reforms
🙁Passenger rail? NO
Greensboro, NC // pop. 299,035
32% of city is parking lot
🙁No parking reforms
😀Passenger rail? YES
8 Daily Piedmont Trains
2 Daily Carolinian Trains
2 Daily Crescent Trains
Wichita, KS // pop. 397,532
35% of city is parking lot
🎉No parking minimums downtown and in some nearby neighborhoods
🙁Passenger rail? NO
Worcester, MA // pop. 206,518
35% of city is parking lot
🙁No parking reforms
🎉Passenger rail? YES
10 Daily Framingham/Worcester Line Trains
2 Daily Lake Shore Limited Trains
Lexington, KY // pop. 322,570
38% of city is parking lot
🎉Required tree canopy and restricted lighting for walkable areas as priority
🎉Eliminated parking minimums
🎉Passed a smart zoning ordience text amendment
🙁Passenger rail? NO
San Bernardino, CA // pop. 221,101
49% of city is parking lot
🙁No parking reforms
🎉Passenger rail? Yes
2 Daily Southwest Chief Trains
Inland Empire-Orange County Line
Metrolink San Bernardino Line
Arrow Redlands Commuter Line
Las Vegas, NV // pop. 641,825
32% of city is parking lot
🙁No parking reforms
🙁Passenger rail? NO (LA Brightline Route - 2027?)
Boston, MA // pop. 676,216
6% of city is parking lot
🎉Eliminated parking mandates for affordable housing developments
🎉Boston has citywide parking maximums
😃Passenger rail? YES
Amtrak Acela, Lake Shore Limited, and Northwest Regional
Amtrak Acela Express (@ Back Bay Station)
MBTA Commuter Rail Lines
MBTA Subway (Red, Orange, and Silver Lines)
Pittsburgh, PA // pop. 302,971
15% of city is parking lot
🙁No parking reform
🎉Passenger rail? YES
T Light Rail Lines (Red, Blue, and Silver lines)
North Shore Commuter Connector
2 Daily Capitol Limited Trains
1 Daily Pennsylvania Train
Chicago, IL // pop. 2,747,231
4% of city is parking lot
🎉No parking minimums
🎉Strict parking lot regulations
🎉Parking lots near passenger rail restrictions
🎉Passenger Rail? YES
2 Daily Lake Shore Limited Trains
Amtrak California Zephyr, Cardinal, and City of New Orleans,
Illini, Wolverine, Blue Water, Carl Sandburg, and Illinois Zephyr Regional Train Service
Lincoln Service River Runner Train
Local Merta; Electric, Rock Island, Southwest, Heritage, and Milwaukee District local services
Denver, CO // pop. 715,522
11% of city is parking lot
🙁No parking reform
🎉Passenger rail? YES
Local Airport (A) Line
Local B, E, G, and N lines
Amtrak California Zephyr Train
Seattle, WA // pop. 735,157
10% of city is parking lot
🎉Non-hospital parking minimums eliminated
🎉Strict parking around transit stops
🎉Development adjacent ordinances
🎉Passenger rail? YES
16 Daily Amtrak Cascades Trains
Local SoundTransit Passenger Rail Service
San Jose, CA // pop. 1,014,545
14% of city is parking lot
🎉All city-wide parking minimums have been eliminated
🎉Passenger rail? YES
Caltrain Commuter Rail Line
Amtrak Regional Capitol Corridor
Amtrak Coast Starlight Train
VTA Light Rail (Green Line)
Altamont Coridor Express Service
Future California HSR?
New York, NY // pop. 8,804,190
1% of midtown Manhattan is parking lot
🎉No parking minimums for almost all of Manhatten
🎉No off-street parking required in Midtown
🎉Reduced parking requirements throughout the city
🎉Passenger rail? DUH
Penn Station is served by:
NJ Transit (Midtown-North Jersey Coast Line)
Long Island RR (City Terminal-Oyster Bay/Port Washington)
Amtrak Services (Acela Express, Northwest Regional, Empire Express)
PATH Train (Newark-Hoboken)
NYC Subway (8th Express/Local, Broadway - 7th Express/Local)
