A practical method for developing context-sensitive residential parking standards

Abstract

Responsibility for establishing minimum parking requirements for new development largely falls on local governments. Unfortunately, many municipalities do not create parking standards that are appropriate to the various uses and locations that they regulate. Local parking standards are rarely derived from parking utilization studies, and are instead based on small, nationwide samples drawn from varying land use contexts offering varying transportation options. The standards applied to a particular development often do not depend on its physical environment.The present research takes an important step in improving parking regulation: it develops a method for computing context-sensitive residential parking standards. First, it reviews transportation analysis literature to discern the latest thinking on the relationship between vehicle ownership-the main component of residential parking demand-and environmental and demographic variables. Second, it translates these lessons into a form appropriate for land use regulation. Third, it proposes and validates a method for estimating household vehicle ownership using only regulation-appropriate variables.The proposed method, called the VULO method, for Vehicles from Unit choice with a Location-based Offset, is a useful tool for evaluating current residential parking standards and developing new standards. It is based in the latest understanding of the relationships between residential unit choice and vehicle ownership. It is procedurally simple: use microdata to estimate household vehicle ownership, and correct that estimate to align the estimated and actual average vehicle ownership at the Census block group level. It is designed to use only publicly available data, allowing planners throughout the US to implement it immediately. Finally, it offers better estimates of household vehicle ownership than alternative methods.The VULO method offers the promise of rationalizing residential parking standards throughout the US. If implemented, it could reduce residential parking oversupply, especially in infill situations. In turn, this should result in accelerated infill development, less expensive housing, and more pleasant urban environments. At a minimum, it will advance the discussion of whether and how to improve parking standards.

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