For decades we haven’t built enough homes for people across the U.S, and housing prices are sky-high. Most people have been displaced themselves or know someone who has had to leave their community because they couldn’t find an affordable place to live.

As housing advocates, we envision communities where people can find homes near where they work, shop, and play. Unfortunately, many places have a minimum number of parking spaces required for every new home, but they’re not necessary – especially in places that have high-quality transit. We need housing for people, not cars.

Parking spaces are expensive to build, often as much as 20% of construction costs. This cost gets passed on to residents through higher rents or listing prices, even if they don’t drive. Generally, $10,000 in construction costs adds $100/mo in rent. Conventional parking minimums can increase the rent or mortgage of an apartment or house by $200-$500 per month.

Policies that require parking minimums have effectively mandated sprawl, car dependency, and environmental injustice. Sprawl refers to when homes, shops, and workplaces are widely spread across large areas, ultimately leading to longer commutes and a lot of unused space.

We need to tell our representatives to support the People Over Parking bill, which would lower parking requirements, end car dependency and legalize dense housing without parking minimums!