Date: June 1, 2019
Author(s): Katelyn Stangl
Abstract
Nearly every city in the United States requires new developments to build a certain number of off-street parking spaces. Such requirements are known as “parking minimums.” Parking minimums have been criticized for requiring developers to build too much parking — they are generally set to require the amount of parking that might be needed when parking is free, during periods of peak demand, and in suburban, auto-oriented environments without public transit. In any other situation, there is likely to be less demand for parking and the amount of parking built will be underutilized. This research found that developments generally provided about as much parking as required, even as the amount of required parking decreased. Developments were more likely to provide extra parking when located in denser neighborhoods where people are least likely to drive and most likely to travel by public transit or by foot.
About the Project
Parking minimums have been criticized for requiring developers to build more parking than they would without regulation; however, to date, few studies have explored why there might be variation in how much parking is built or why developers might willingly build parking above the minimums. To answer these questions, I assembled a sample of residential and mixed-use developments approved for construction in Los Angeles between 2013 and 2018 and analyzed if any development or neighborhood characteristics predicted parking above the minimum. I also interviewed 11 developers and real-estate professionals about parking minimums.