Free parking is an absolute public transit killer. It is one of the number one determinants of whether people will drive. The more parking you provide, the less walkable the neighborhood becomes. And so the lower the density of amenities, lower density of people and therefore the less useful public transit becomes.
Can you imagine if everything you needed in your everyday life was just a walk or bike ride away? That’s the goal of the 15-minute City, a new name for an old idea. Reducing the need for cars cuts emissions and gets autos off of the roads, which is a boon for safety, air quality and the climate. But, as is often the case, good ideas become a lot more difficult when you have to implement them in real places, with real people, who don’t always share the enthusiasm for the idea. What will it take to make compact, walkable cities a reality in the U.S., where the car is king?
Guests:
Beth Osborne, Director, Transportation for America
David Miller, Former Mayor of Toronto
Justin Bibb, Mayor of Cleveland
Henry Grabar, Author of Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World.
For show notes and related links, visit ClimateOne.org
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