Investing in ‘people places’ over parking

So what does it take to build a place where people quickly realize that vibrant pedestrian life is more appealing and healthier than streets filled with moving vehicles, or a sterile parking lot?

1a. You need a progressive government that’s willing to enable legislation to eliminate minimum parking requirements. If the people don’t want all that parking, the government shouldn’t require themselves to spend money to supply it.

1b. You also need, at the same time, a progressive private sector investment group, such as these guys. How does one define ‘progressive’ in this case? 1:1000 parking spaces/s.f. of building. Typically, it’s 3 to 5:1000 spaces/s.f.

1c. Finally, none of this works if you don’t have people who really want to live in a place that prioritizes over people, piazzas over parking lots, paseos over passing lanes. How does one form this market? Here’s our suggestion.

2. If you complete the first step, most everything falls into place naturally. You’ll see.

Photo courtesy of Carfree Cities

About The Author

neilkt