ABSTRACT
The Planning Advisory Service of the American Planning Association reports that cities require parking for at least 662 different land uses. Planning for parking should become more of an art and less of a pseudoscience. Circular logic is a crucial flaw in parking requirements. Planners observe the peak parking occupancy at suburban sites with free parking but no public transit, and then require at least enough spaces to meet this demand. "Parking requirement" is a misleading term because it suggests that buildings require a certain number of parking spaces. Planning for parking is almost entirely a municipal responsibility. Federal, state, and regional transportation plans rarely mention parking, although it is an essential and expensive part of the transportation system. An example can explain how parking requirements prohibit many desirable land uses. Minimum parking requirements appear to exceed the peak demand for free parking in other countries as well.
