Strong Towns Advocates for Safety-Centric Parking Reforms in Urban Areas

The nonprofit group Strong Towns is drawing attention to the detrimental effects of mandatory parking minimums, particularly in urban school settings. According to their e-book, "Stuck in Park: How Mandatory Parking Minimums Hurt American Cities," such policies can lead to unsafe and unproductive land use. One of the key discussions in the e-book revolves around a local school district's plan to create additional parking spaces primarily for staff convenience. Initially, this plan included paving over playgrounds and potentially using eminent domain to acquire residential properties.

Author Charles Marohn criticizes the plan, arguing that applying suburban design standards to urban neighborhoods results in increased traffic flow and safety hazards, especially for children walking to and from school. He notes that such parking facilities are underutilized for most of the day, creating "a doughnut of desolation" around schools during evenings, weekends, and summer months.

Strong Towns points out that many urban areas have experienced a rise in unused parking lots due to changes in shopping, dining, and working habits. The organization has been instrumental in helping numerous cities reduce or eliminate parking mandates. They have even launched a Parking Reform Map that shows over 1,400 U.S. cities making changes to these regulations.

In Haltom City, Texas, parking mandates pose a significant barrier to the redevelopment of older properties. Joe Palmer, Communications Director for the Haltom United Business Alliance (HUBA), suggests that the city should create overlay districts to eliminate parking minimums along main corridors. This change could attract developers and small business owners to invest in older properties, helping to revitalize declining neighborhoods.

Palmer emphasizes that removing parking mandates is only one of many strategies that the City Council should consider to foster development. He believes that timely action is essential to reversing the trend of economic decline in the southern and central parts of Haltom City.

With the support of organizations like Strong Towns and HUBA, cities can adopt more sustainable and community-friendly approaches to urban planning. The focus on safety and efficient land use can lead to more vibrant and livable neighborhoods, benefiting residents and businesses alike.