In Champaign, IL, reducing minimum parking requirements (MPRs) has spurred development and boosted the density of both downtown Champaign and the urban district anchored by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
That’s according to University of Illinois researchers Bumsoo Lee and Srirang Sohoni.
The city provides an early case study of the impact of removing MPRs. In 2015 and 2016, Champaign removed minimums in the university district and residential areas in the downtown and midtown districts, including all of Campustown.
The results are striking say the researchers, “Of the 43 new major developments built in the seven years following the parking reform, 84 percent provided less parking than previous requirements, including eight developments with zero parking.” Ultimately, the removal of minimum parking requirements coupled with other policies helped increase housing density, promote active frontages, and guide development to walkable areas of the city.
More on cities reducing MPRs appears in the September issue of Downtown Idea Exchange newsletter.
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