It’s about land and money. More land used for city-mandated parking means less land for much needed homes or wealth-generating businesses. And parking can be expensive to build, costing between $5,000 and $50,000 per space. When you force developers to include a minimum amount parking, you’re adding tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars to the cost of a project.

Parking mandates don’t just affect the private development side. They also cost cities a lot of money by making destinations farther and farther apart. You end up with more streets and roads per capita, more stormwater runoff to manage, and more liabilities on the city’s books.