Synopses & Reviews
Today, there are more than three parking spaces for every car in the United States. No one likes searching for a space, but in many areas, there is an oversupply, wasting valuable land, damaging the environment, and deterring development. Richard W. Willson argues that the problem stems from outdated minimum parking requirements. In this practical guide, he shows practitioners how to reform parking requirements in a way that supports planning goals and creates vibrant cities.
Local planners and policymakers, traffic engineers, developers, and community members are actively seeking this information as they institute principles of Smart Growth. But making effective changes requires more than relying on national averages or copying information from neighboring communities. Instead, Willson shows how professionals can confidently create requirements based on local parking data, an understanding of future trends affecting parking use, and clear policy choices.
After putting parking and parking requirements in context, the book offers an accessible tool kit to get started and repair outdated requirements. It looks in depth at parking requirements for multifamily developments, including income-restricted housing, workplaces, and mixed-use, transit-oriented development. Case studies for each type of parking illustrate what works, what doesnandrsquo;t, and how to overcome challenges. Willson also explores the process of codifying regulations and how to work with stakeholders to avoid political conflicts.
With Parking Reform Made Easy, practitioners will learn, step-by-step, how to improve requirements. The result will be higher density, healthier, more energy-efficient, and livable communities. This book will be exceptionally useful for local and regional land use and transportation planners, transportation engineers, real estate developers, citizen activists, and students of transportation planning and urban policy.
Review
"Finally, a comprehensive book has been written that not only helps you understand the purpose of parking requirements, but offers a menu of practical options for land management reform.
Parking Reform Made Easy will help you rethink parking standards, eliminate the tendency to over park your community, and help you to reclaim land for economic and tax producing value. Simply put, this book will make you smarter."
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Parking Reform Made Easy provides both a theoretical framework and practical methods for reforming parking requirements. By giving planners a sound basis for developing reforms, Richard Willson remedies the problem that many planners feel unqualified to challenge and change long-standing minimum parking requirements."
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"Parking requirements in zoning codes and subdivision regulations may seem both arcane and mundane. Donald Shoup's earlier book proved they are critically important to the quality of urban environments. Now Richard Willson has written a literate, readable, and practical sequel, showing how to transform planning for parking into an essential tool for improving cities and suburbs."
Review
"This highly readable book tells us why 'smart parking' reform is needed and provides a toolkit for getting the parking equation right."
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"a very important primer for discussing and implementing parking reform" Martin Wachs - University of California and RAND Corporation
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"it is almost certainly a step forward in reforming parking regulation."
Half-Mile Circles blog at Reconnecting America
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"...should be widely and frequently consulted....a path-breaking book that advances the prospects for better parking policy and regulation."
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"Direct and plainspoken, the book is likely to open your eyes to a frequently overlooked policy area that, if rethought, could have far-reaching, positive implications."
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"a very important primer for discussing and implementing parking reform"
Half-Mile Circles blog at Reconnecting America
Review
"it is almost certainly a step forward in reforming parking regulation."
Examiner.com
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"...demonstrate[s] how to use local data and an understanding of future trends to develop parking requirements that support local planning goals and are responsive to the needs of individual neighborhoods."
Reference and Research Book News
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"Willson understands how planners actually plan for parking, and he uses that understanding to offer a realistic path toward better planning practice. We can only hope that many cities follow his advice."
Journal of the American Planning Association
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"I give kudos to Professor Willson for producing a path-breaking book that advances the prospects for better parking policy and regulation."
Review
"For once, an urbanistic reform with an approach that can grow organically and does not depend on people completely changing their minds!"
Synopsis
Today, there are more than three parking spaces for every car in the United States. Excessive, outdated parking requirement minimums are wasting valuable public land, damaging the environment, and deterring development. In this practical guide, Richard W. Willson shows how to reform zoning codes and create more vibrant cities. Using case studies to illustrate a parking requirement tool kit, the book how to assess parking levels, codify regulations and work with stakeholders. Practitioners will learn, step-by-step, how to confidently create better requirements based on local parking demand data and local policy preferences.
About the Author
Richard W. Willson, Ph.D., FAICP, is Professor and Chair in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. He lives in Los Angeles, California.