ABSTRACT
Housing affordability and parking availability are two of the most vexing problems in the nation's largest cities. In San Francisco, most working people find it almost impossible to find a house, condo, or apartment at an affordable price. Because many of San Francisco's parking reforms were tied to the development of neighborhood plans, the process was slow going. The number of households that could have qualified for loans on condos without parking was 20 percent greater than the number that could qualify for those with off-street parking. By providing parking spaces with new housing, developers invite more cars into the city. Planners often encourage "transit-oriented development" to increase public transit use and lessen residents' reliance on automobiles. Although Americans rarely connect housing affordability and parking availability, the two problems are intimately linked, presenting planners with a conundrum. In an effort to ease parking shortages, cities require that new dwelling units provide off-street parking.
