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

Cincinnati Will Reform Its Parking Mandates

Bad parking policy can greatly harm a city. Too much parking makes walking impractical and uncomfortable. It also erodes the tax base, as the map of downtown Detroit we posted last week made painfully clear. Meanwhile, cities that manage the parking supply wisely have bolstered their downtowns, as we've seen in the cases of Pittsburgh and Denver.

false

That's why it's exciting to read that Cincinnati will reform its mandatory parking requirements. Randy Simes of Urban Cincy reports the city is making some smart changes:

Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory (D) has approved an amendment to the city’s zoning code that eliminates parking requirements for many residential developments, and substantially reduces them for others.

The ordinance, signed on August 7, tosses out the city’s existing minimum parking requirements within the zoning code’s Downtown Development Overlay Districts, which cover the central business district and historic Over-the-Rhine.

Under the new regulations any residential development with 20 or fewer housing units would not have to provide any parking, while those with more than 20 units would have to provide .75 spaces per housing unit above 20. That means a development with 32 housing units would only need to provide nine parking spaces.

The approved ordinance also calls for the “deregulation of minimum parking requirements in other neighborhoods through the establishment of Urban Parking Overlay Districts in areas to be determined by Council.”

Simes says the policy discussion began with a post on Urban Cincy. Congrats to the volunteer writing team at this blog, and to the leadership of Cincinnati.

Elsewhere on the Network today: The Political Environment says Wisconsin is preparing to compound the problems created by its lenient drunk driving laws by raising the speed limit. Urban Milwaukee explains the process that led to the city's first parklet. And Greater Greater Washington says widening highways to add bus service is bad regional transit planning.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Eric Adams’s ‘Dept. of Sustainable Delivery’ Isn’t Actually A Department

The "Department of Sustainable Delivery" will launch with 45 "peace officers" in 2028, the mayor said on Monday.

July 7, 2025

New Air Quality Stats Dispel Earlier Forecasts for Congestion Pricing Pollution

Air quality has improved or remained steady across the five boroughs since congestion pricing launched in January, city health department data showed.

July 7, 2025

‘Rush’ Routes Debut in Queens Bus Map Overhaul More Than Five Years in the Making

The MTA's new "rush" routes make fewer stops in busy downtown areas to avoid wasted time merging in and out of traffic.

July 7, 2025

Monday’s Headlines: Run This Town Edition

The 34th Street busway is the latest casualty of the mayor's lack of a spine on transportation issues. Plus more news.

July 7, 2025

Beach Reading: Zohran Mamdani’s Answers to Streetsblog’s Mayoral Candidate Survey

Spend the holiday weekend with Zohran Mamdani's answers to Streetsblog's mayoral candidate questionnaire.

July 4, 2025

Friday Video: Why NYC Needs ‘Low-Traffic Neighborhoods’

London's Church Street, like so many of our business corridors, was choking on cars — until the advent of the low-traffic neighborhood.

July 4, 2025
See all posts