The range of cities that have recently removed parking mandates could help motivate others that are eyeing new parking policies.

Michael Andersen looks at new developments in parking reform as it moves, in his words, from the "realm of the radical" to that of "early adopters, the ones who know a good idea when they see it even though it’s off-the-wall."
San Francisco and Minneapolis recently voted down parking mandates for residential developments. While Buffalo, New York, and Harford, Connecticut, took action last year to eliminate minimum parking requirements, Andersen says those cities were motivated by underinvestment and a desire to spur economic activity after the Great Recession.
Meanwhile, San Francisco and Minneapolis are cities with booming economies where the lift on parking mandates will help funnel money into housing development and provide some relief to residents facing affordability challenges.
Andersen believes these changes happening in both larger and smaller cities set a good example for cities across the country:
It proves parking reform is not just a good idea for cities with very different problems, it’s also politically feasible in cities with very different problems. Minneapolis and San Francisco show the way for booming Cascadian cities like Seattle and Richmond. Hartford and Buffalo set examples for flagging ones like Anchorage and Aberdeen.
He hopes the momentum continues and these early milestones will pave the way for other cities considering similar parking reform.
FULL STORY: 2018 WAS THE YEAR PARKING REFORM WENT FROM MINOR TO MAJOR LEAGUE

New Florida Law Curbs HOA Power
The legislation seeks to cut down on ‘absurd’ citations for low-level violations.

New Tennessee Law Allows No-Cost Incentives for Affordable Housing
Local governments in the Volunteer State can now offer developers incentives like increased density, lower parking requirements, and priority permitting for affordable housing projects.

Planners’ Complicity in Excessive Traffic Deaths
Professor Wes Marshall’s provocatively-titled new book, "Killed by a Traffic Engineer," has stimulated fierce debates. Are his criticisms justified? Let’s examine the degree that traffic engineers contribute to avoidable traffic deaths.

Study: Housing Crisis is About Affordability, not Supply
New research shows that there is no overall shortage of housing units, but all U.S. metropolitan areas face a severe lack of affordable units for low-income renters.

Are Race-Based Lawsuits Affecting Community Lenders?
Shelterforce spoke with community lending leaders and experts about the current mood across the sector. What, if anything, are organizations doing to avoid becoming the next target of conservative activists?

New Park Promotes Community and Connectivity in Lewisville, Texas
The city of Lewisville just celebrated the opening of Glory Park/Parque la Gloria, helping to improve park access and the quality of life for residents.
City of Madera
City of Santa Clarita
Borough of Carlisle
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Colorado Energy Office
Pima County Community College District
City of Piedmont, CA
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