Pass the People Over Parking Act
Recommendation
Congress should pass the People Over Parking Act, which would eliminate requirements that residential and commercial developments near public transit be forced to have parking.[1] This government mandate negatively impacts housing development and affordability, public transit use, the environment[2] – and contributes to homelessness.
Background/summary
There are at least three parking spaces for each of the estimated 260 million cars in the United States.[3] Municipalities often have minimum parking mandates that require parking spaces for every building.[4] Parking minimum mandates have vast unintended consequences, worsening housing affordability, congestion, and climate change.[3] Related outcomes of minimum parking mandates include increased housing costs and pollution emissions and reduced building development and public transit use.[2]
Housing insecurity, which includes lack of affordable housing, overcrowded conditions, and homelessness, exposes individuals and families to increased stress, negatively impacting mental and physical health.[5] For individuals with mental health and substance use disorders (MH/SUDs), housing insecurity exacerbates a cycle of MH/SUDs symptoms and discrimination that contribute to the overrepresentation of those experiencing homelessness also having MH/SUDs.[6] Congress should pass the People Over Parking Act to mitigate the negative impacts of parking minimum mandates, especially on those suffering from MH/SUDs.
citations
1. People Over Parking Act of 2023. H.R. 3145 (Garcia), 118th Congress (2023-2024). Last Accessed July 27, 2023.
2. “Congressman Robert Garcia Introduces People Over Parking Act to Make Housing More Affordable by Eliminating Parking Minimums, Curbing Emissions.” 2023. Congressman Robert Garcia. Last Updated May 9, 2023.
3. Parking Reform Network. What is Parking Reform?. Last Accessed July 27, 2023.
4. Meyersohn, Nathaniel . This Little-Known Rule Shapes Parking in America. Cities are Reversing It. CNN Business. Last Updated May 21, 2023.
5. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research. HUD User: Promoting Mental Health Through Housing Stability. Last Updated May 31, 2022.
6. National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). Social Determinants of Health: Housing. Last Accessed August 1, 2023.