Dave Gardetta on how Los Angeles’ parking requirements are crippling the city:
Urban planners, says [Donald] Shoup, have no theory, use no hard data, when choosing parking requirements; they consult the manuals to decide. Every business imaginable is found within: Funeral parlors? A basic formula is eight parking spaces plus one for each hearse. Convents? One-tenth of a space per nun is fine. Adult bookstores? One space for every prospective patron plus one for the cashier holding the longest shift (no mention of the flasher in the alley). Public swimming pools? One space for every 2,500 gallons of water on the premises, chlorine included.
Unlike other cities, businesses in LA are required by law to provide a certain number of parking spaces, and those numbers are often completely arbitrary. As a result, LA has the highest density of parking spaces in the world, but a lack of walkable neighborhoods, efficient public transportation, and clean air.