A new study that looks at parking in five U.S. cities—New York, Philadelphia, Seattle, Des Moines, and Jackson, Wyoming—quantifies the amount of parking capacity and estimates the cost to communities.
Parking density per acre ranges from about 10 spots in New York to 53.8 in Jackson. The two smaller communities, Des Moines and Jackson, have a lot more parking spots per household—19 and 27 respectively—than the larger, more densely populated cities. By comparison, New York has 0.6 spots per household.
To get a handle on the cost of all that parking, the study includes the cost to replace existing capacity. This cost, when calculated by household, ranges from $6,570 per spot in New York to a whopping $192,138 in Jackson.
“America devotes far too many of its precious resources to parking,” writes Richard Florida in a post at City Lab. He points out that driving seems to be in decline. The share of Seattle households with a car is falling for the first time in at least 40 years, and the percentage of U.S. high school seniors with a driver’s license is down from 85.3% in 1996 to 71.5% in 2015. What’s more, ride-sharing is gaining popularity. Florida argues that some of the space devoted to parking would be better utilized for housing and other uses.
Related Stories
Fire and Life Safety | Oct 4, 2022
Fire safety considerations for cantilevered buildings
Bold cantilevered designs are prevalent today, as developers and architects strive to maximize space, views, and natural light in buildings. Cantilevered structures, however, present a host of challenges for building teams, according to José R. Rivera, PE, Associate Principal and Director of Plumbing and Fire Protection with Lilker.
Resiliency | Sep 30, 2022
Designing buildings for wildfire defensibility
Wold Architects and Engineers' Senior Planner Ryan Downs, AIA, talks about how to make structures and communities more fire-resistant.
| Sep 30, 2022
Lab-grown bricks offer potential low-carbon building material
A team of students at the University of Waterloo in Canada have developed a process to grow bricks using bacteria.
| Sep 27, 2022
New Buildings Institute released the Existing Building Decarbonization Code
New Buildings Institute (NBI) has released the Existing Building Decarbonization Code.
| Sep 22, 2022
Gainesville, Fla., ordinance requires Home Energy Score during rental inspections
The city of Gainesville, Florida was recently recognized by the U.S. Dept. of Energy for an adopted ordinance that requires rental housing to receive a Home Energy Score during rental inspections.
| Sep 19, 2022
New York City construction site inspections, enforcement found ‘inadequate’
A new report by the New York State Comptroller found that New York City construction site inspections and regulation enforcement need improvement.
| Sep 16, 2022
Fairfax County, Va., considers impactful code change to reduce flood risk
Fairfax County, Va., in the Washington, D.C., metro region is considering a major code change to reduce the risk from floods.
| Sep 13, 2022
California building codes now allow high-rise mass-timber buildings
California recently enacted new building codes that allow for high-rise mass-timber buildings to be constructed in the state.
| Sep 8, 2022
U.S. construction costs expected to rise 14% year over year by close of 2022
Coldwell Banker Richard Ellis (CBRE) is forecasting a 14.1% year-on-year increase in U.S. construction costs by the close of 2022.
| Aug 29, 2022
Montana becomes first U.S. state to approve 3D printing in construction
Montana is the first U.S. state to give broad regulatory approval for 3D printing in building construction.