Search

Rethinking Vehicle Parking Requirements - Home Page

Photo of a parking lot with several parked cars and trees in the background on a sunny day

Rethinking Parking Requirements: There are new ways to consider how much vehicle parking a city, development, or region should have. Many parking zoning codes err on the side of caution to...

A photo of lawn area and water feature next to mixed-use developments. — Santana Row, San José, CA

Photo of benches and seating outside a restaurant entrance that is on the bottom floor of a larger building with people standing outside — Plaza del Sol, Sunnyvale, CA

A photo of a brick parking garage that blends blends in with adjacent development. — Parking Structure, Boulder, CO (Source: Flickr - Brett VA)

A photo of a parking garage next to a five story residential development. The parking garage has art and complements the color of the residential development. — LA Plaza Village Structured Parking, Los Angeles, CA (Source: Watry Design Inc. - Heather Collins)

Conform parking structure height and façades to match the surrounding built environment and adjacent uses. Parking structures should complement the scale and character of the neighborhood.

Co...

Photo of people sitting outside restaurants under trees with people walking by — San Pedro Street Restaurants, San José, CA (Source: Flickr - Sergio Ruiz)

Graphic of a map of a downtown with callout boxes of policies and programs that incentivize people to not drive for traveling — Support transportation demand management and reduce single occupant vehicle use

Photo of play structure and shaded amphitheater next to transit center — The Monrovia Station Plaza Play Area and Amphitheatre in Monrovia, CA activates the Monrovia Station Area (Source: IBI Group)

Photo of people sitting in a parklet with string lights above, fake grass, a bench, a dog, and a person biking by with a child

The efficient use of parking facilities can provide numerous benefits related to site design, trip generation, development cost, and building design and function. When implemented effectively...

Graphic showing map with yellow, orange, red, and green colors indicating with higher or lower levels of VMT — Sample VMT heat map which can be used in CEQA screening; green and yellow areas have lower VMT, orange and red areas have higher VMT

Two taller buildings surrounding a gated pedestrian walkway on a sunny day — 4th Street, San José, CA

Photo of taller building under construction with two bicyclists traveling in front — The James, San José, CA (Source: Flickr - Sergio Ruiz)

A photo of a row of townhouses with a sidewalk, street trees, and parallel parking — Clear Boundary Between Public & Private - Laurel Grove, San José, CA (Source: Flickr - Sergio Ruiz)

A photo of a plaza in front of a high-rise building with large ground lights on the sidewalk and an emergency call button box. — Salesforce Plaza, San Francisco, CA (Source: Flickr - Sergio Ruiz)

Natural surveillance is key to neighborhood safety. Neighborhoods with higher walkability indices and/or businesses open longer hours are associated with lower crime. Ensure open sightlines to and...

A graphic of a neighborhood with a clear corridor and connection of two parks/open spaces. — Open Spaces and Multimodal Corridors

A photo of an urban plaza under an elevated roadway. — Park Space Under Elevated Roadway (Source: IBI Group)

Pursue the use of excess land adjacent to transit and roadway rights-of-way, and under elevated structures where available. Unused space beneath elevated transit lines and roadways can be...

Develop an outreach plan and expect lots of comments. Quick-build projects are public beta tests. They allow local agencies to get input on a design and modify it before it becomes permanent...

Photo of parking garage with cars parked on both sides of the aisle — Parking Garage

Photo of several parking regulation signs — On-Street Pay Parking (Source: IBI Group)

An aerial photo of an surface level parking with an underground parking garage at Apple Park. — Off Street Parking Design, Apple Park Visitor Center (Source: Flickr - Jim Maurer)

A photo of close street lights on the sidewalk. — Street Lamp Illuminating the Ground Below

Illuminate parking facilities at recommended minimum average illumination levels used by the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES).

Point lights downward to minimize light pollution and...

A photo of people walking, biking, and walking a dog on a sidewalk. — Emeryville Greenway (Source: Flickr - Sergio Ruiz)

A photo of people walking on a crosswalk in a commercial corridor. — Prioritize Multi-Modal Travel (Source: Flickr - Eric Fredericks)

Implement policies that support healthy, active, and engaged communities.

Manage parking through Transportation Demand Management measures (e.g., parking reduction incentives...

Photo of a street with a pedestrian crossing and warning signs to drivers with trees and a building — Typical Mixed Use Development, San José, CA

Photo of downtown San José area including freeways, buildings, homes, and a sports field — Diridon Station Area, San José, CA (Source: Flickr - Sergio Ruiz)

Photo of several shop entrances with trees and landscaping with parked vehicles and a sign that says "Pay to Park" — Retail Frontage, Portland, OR (Source: Flickr - Eric Fredericks)

Photo of playground next to grassy area with trees and apartment buildings in the background — Renaissance Park, Rancho Cordova, CA (Source: Flickr - Eric Fredericks)

Photo of pedestrian walkway with palm trees and signage and advertising kiosks — Fruitvale Village, Oakland, CA (Source: Flickr - Christopher Ulrich)

Photo of skateboarder in front of street party in front of apartment building — A person travels on a skateboard on Octavia Boulevard’s shared local access road past a public meeting space created with the street redesign. (Source: Sergio Ruiz)

Photo of a common space covered in grass and walkways surrounded by taller buildings at night — Hayes Green at night. This park is located in a wide median created when Octavia Boulevard was built to replace a portion of elevated freeway (Source: Sergio Ruiz)

Barcelona, Spain - Superblocks

In 2016, the Poblenou neighborhood in Barcelona, Spain created a people-centered, pedestrian-friendly, nine-block “superblock” within an otherwise auto-oriented...

Photo of a series of two-story buildings with trees and people sitting in front — Downtown Austin (Source: Kyle Jameson)

Berkeley, CA, USA - Reforming Parking Policies to Support Smart Growth Study

The City of Berkeley, CA implemented a Smart Growth Study to better manage their parking supply, especially within their...

Search

Rethinking Vehicle Parking Requirements - Home Page

Performance Zoning

Local Retail

Parking Structure Design

Flexibility in Retail Uses

Helping Communities Leave Their Cars at Home

Improving Station Area Environments

Parking Management - Home Page

Modernize Transportation Analysis Policies

Casting a Wide Net

Apportioned and Mitigated Risk

Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design

Open Space Structure

Quick Build Projects

"Unbundle" Parking Costs

Area Parking Management Plans

Safety and Pedestrian Circulation

Prioritize Multimodal Sustainable Travel

Quantifiable Components of Mixed-Use

Environmental Regulations

Retail Vacancies

Special Taxes and Assessments

Innovative Market Analyses

Case Studies (Street Design)

Case Studies (Rethinking Vehicle Parking Requirements)