A new report providing credible estimates of five cities of differing size and geographic location reveals one truth about the United States: parking is the dominant land use in cities.
Angie Schmitt shares news of a new report by Eric Scharnhorst at the Research Institute for Housing America, titled "Quantified Parking: Comprehensive Parking Inventories for Five U.S. Cities."
According to Schmitt, the report is the first time credible estimates of the total parking supply in several American cities has been made available, and the conclusion is dire. "American Cities Are Drowning in Car Storage" laments the headline.
It’s not an exaggeration to say American cities have been built for cars more than people. “After decades of requiring parking for new construction,” Scharnhorst writes, “car storage has become the primary land use in many city areas.”
According to Schmitt, "Scharnhorst used satellite imagery and tax records to tally on-street parking, surface parking, and garage parking in five cities: New York, Seattle, Philadelphia, Des Moines, and Jackson, Wyoming." Scharnhorst expects the methodology will duplicable in other cities.
Caitlin McCabe picked up news about the study in Philadelphia, posing the reality of the city's parking supply to a public that can be easily angered over perceived lack of parking.
FULL STORY: American Cities Are Drowning in Car Storage
The Mall Is Dead — Long Live the Mall
The American shopping mall may be closer to its original vision than ever.
The Paradox of American Housing
How the tension between housing as an asset and as an essential good keeps the supply inadequate and costs high.
Report: Las Vegas, Houston Top List of Least Affordable Cities
The report assesses the availability of affordable rental units for low-income households.
Anchorage Leaders Debate Zoning Reform Plan
Last year, the city produced the fewest new housing units in a decade.
How to Protect Pedestrians With Disabilities
Public agencies don’t track traffic deaths and injuries involving disabled people, leaving a gap in data to guide safety interventions.
Colorado Town Fills Workforce Housing Need With ‘Dorm-Style’ Housing
Median rent in Steamboat Springs is $4,000 per month.
City of Yakima
City of Auburn
Baylands Development Inc.
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Birmingham, Alabama
City of Laramie, Wyoming
Colorado Department of Local Affairs
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.