Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Streetsblog

India’s Parking Policies Lead Down the Road to Car-Choked Cities

Around the Network today, we've got some news and analysis from India, Hong Kong and Seattle:

false

India at a Parking Crossroads: India is developing fast, and the character of its cities hangs in the balance. The country's emerging urban parking policies will determine whether India's urban areas come to be ruled by cars, or whether a healthier, more pedestrian-friendly approach emerges, says Network blog Reinventing Parking.

So far, India has taken early steps down the car-centric path, offering government-provided parking, giving developers incentives to build public parking, and mandating parking minimums. In a troubling turn of events earlier this month, the country's urban development minister even called for all new development in India to include parking spaces.

Green Development in Seattle Gets Top Marks: Kaid Benfield at the Natural Resources Defense Council's Switchboard blog is doing verbal backflips over a new green development in the city of Seattle, which he describes as "possibly the best example of transit-oriented urbanism, natural public space, and green stormwater infrastructure I have ever seen." Developers of Thornton Place score major points for redeveloping what was a nine-acre surface parking lot, located near transit. The Swedish developer is also working hard to provide a natural setting for Thornton Creek, a submerged waterway the city of Seattle is working to restore. Meanwhile, the developer is planning to add 530 units -- at 96 per acre -- and also 50,000 square feet of retail space.

The list of commendable features just goes on and on. The development reduces impervious surfaces by 78 percent and provides direct pedestrian access to nearby neighborhoods. Some have called Thornton Place Seattle's first truly transit-oriented development. "I have a feeling that this project is going to start showing up in a lot of case studies and presentations, including my own, and deservedly so," said Benfield. "Let’s raise a glass (or cup) to that."

The Down Side of Hong Kong's Urbanism: Three guest bloggers at PubliCola have been studying the costs and benefits of urbanism. In the United States, we have been too focused on the costs of urbanism, they write. For example, environmental assessments focus on the negative impacts of urban density, while ignoring the positives -- like reduced pollution resulting from lowered auto dependence.

The authors examine Hong Kong as an example of the reverse, where the negative impacts of density are ignored and emphasis is placed solely on the positives. As a result, "Hong Kong has some of the most efficient land use and transit in the world. The skyscrapers, thriving retail, and mixed-use rail stations that typify the city were created by policies that maximized financial success for individuals, business and the government treasury." The team, however, found Hong Kong to suffer from a little too much of a good thing. "Their successes have come with a set of collateral damages: poor air quality, lack of personal space, environmental impacts associated with land reclamation and displacement of established economic and social communities to make way for more intensive redevelopment." That's why it's important that urbanists and planners carefully account for both the costs and the benefits of development. "A more holistic view is needed," they write. "Unintended consequences can result from diligently pursuing a too-limited set of metrics."

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Money for Something: Funding OK’d, But Details Missing For ‘Dept. Of Sustainable Delivery’

The mayor got the Council to sign off on $6.1 million for the long-awaited “Department of Sustainable Delivery." But what's it mean? No one is talking.

July 1, 2025

Incoming Albany Mayor Could Help Safe Streets Movement Statewide

The state capital is built for the car and that is how it is experienced by our lawmakers. But could that change under a new mayor? Here's hoping.

July 1, 2025

Tuesday’s Headlines: Another Child Sacrificed to the SUV Edition

Stop de kindermoord! An 8-year-old boy killed by an SUV driver is the latest victim of America's obsession with big cars. Plus other news.

July 1, 2025

DOT Testimony: Removing Bedford Ave. Bike Lane Will ‘Reduce Safety’

"Removing the protected bike lane won’t remove cyclists — it will only make the street less safe," the DOT said. "The city risks legal liability for knowingly reducing safety on a Vision Zero priority corridor."

June 30, 2025

Hochul Signs Speed Camera Reauthorization, Enforcement Continues Through 2030

Stating a clear fact that scores of state legislators reject, Hochul said, "Speed cameras save lives and keep New Yorkers safe."

June 30, 2025

Cyclists Tell Judge Carolyn Walker-Diallo: The Bedford Ave. Bike Lane is a Lifesaver

A judge will decide the fate of the Bedford Avenue bike lane on Tuesday. Streetsblog offers some user affidavits.

June 30, 2025
See all posts