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

California APA Pooh Poohs Statewide Parking Reform Efforts

Parking reform is always difficult. Decades of market-distorting parking minimums have made people feel more than a little bit entitled to subsidized off-street car storage. (See this reaction from a Seattle resident: "We need parking to survive.")

false

But parking reform makes housing more affordable and reduces artificial incentives to drive. So it's disappointing to see an influential group of professional planners -- who really ought to know better -- fail to emphasize the high cost of laws that force developers to build expensive, and potentially unnecessary, amounts of car parking.

That's the take of Stephen Smith at Market Urbanism. With the California legislature considering a bill that would lift parking mandates in transit-accessible areas, Smith notes that the state chapter of the American Planning Association displayed a distinct lack of enthusiasm in a recent email to members:

Minimum parking requirement reform bills have been floating around the California legislature for a while – last year it was AB 710, and this year it’s AB 904, both authored by East Bay Asm. Nancy Skinner.

This email blast to members from the American Planning Association’s California chapter doesn’t take an official position and does ask at the end for input, but their feelings on the bill are kind of hard to miss:

The APA's email contained this warning:

APA California is not opposed to the concept of lower parking requirements near transit when a community decides it is right for them – the issue is that a one-sized-fits-all statewide standard is not appropriate.

Let's be clear: We're not talking about something tremendously radical here. The bill wouldn't even get rid of parking minimums. It would simply set some limits on the parking mandates that municipalities can establish in transit-accessible areas.

The California APA should be one of the biggest advocates of this legislation. Hopefully they get some smart feedback and it's enough to turn their heads.

Elsewhere on the Network today: The Political Environment outlines how a 1990s civil rights complaint might save the Milwaukee Streetcar from Governor Scott "No Train" Walker. Streets.mn explains how open streets events and food trucks have helped revive street culture in Minneapolis. And Commuter Page Blog shares a video explaining how Arlington, Virginia increased its population without increasing traffic congestion.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

And the Winner Is…: Streetsblog’s New Video Team Honored with Deadline Club Award

Streetsblog's social media team, led by Engagement Editor Emily Lipstein, received the Deadline Club's award for digital video reporting on Thursday night.

Friday Video: The ‘Clear’ Benefits of Daylighting

The doyen of daylighting is back with a new video.

May 16, 2025

How One Anti-Gov’t Republican Signed onto a Street Safety Bill to Rein in Reckless Drivers

State Sen. Anthony Palumbo went from "government overreach" to reaching across the aisle in a single day.

May 16, 2025

‘All in the Family’: NYPD Commissioner and Power-Broker Mom Are Both Crusading Against E-Bikes

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch has justified her criminal crackdown on cycling by saying that complaints about cyclists are the most frequent concerns she hears. Such complaints could be coming from inside the house.

May 16, 2025

Puddles Plague Hudson River Greenway As Rain Batters NYC

Greenway cyclists face dangerous conditions when it rains — as Streetsblog observed this week in Manhattan.

May 16, 2025
See all posts