Product No.: 08081A
Date Published: 01/2008
If you would like to request a printed copy (or copies) of this product, please call DVRPC at 215-592-1800 or email the staff contact listed below. If you would like to request this publication or portion of this publication in another language or format, please fill out a request form.
The Automobile at Rest: Toward Better Parking Policies in the Delaware Valley presents an overview of parking policies and requirements in the Delaware Valley region, along with strategies for managing and designing parking better. Each of the region's 353 municipalities set their own parking requirements within their municipal zoning ordinance, usually based on national standards from the Institute of Transportation Engineers and/or the Urban Land Institute. These requirements are detailed in a separately published Appendix titled Municipal Parking Standards Inventory. These standards often assume that all trips will be made by car and that destinations will be isolated and single use in character. The standards fail to recognize the different types of parking provisions that may be desirable or cost appropriate for different contexts, such as downtowns, suburban shopping districts, or rural areas. Municipal parking ordinances therefore often result in too much parking or requirements that are not flexible for mixed-use settings. These requirements have a strong influence on the built and natural environment and how the community grows or redevelops. The report also examines ways to reduce parking demand and improve parking supply where appropriate or necessary through parking management strategies, such as pricing, car-sharing, and shared parking, among others. Different types of parking are examined, from surface parking to underground parking to bicycle parking, along with innovative design treatments. The report also examines the environmental impacts of parking with a focus on the critical issue of stormwater. Lastly, the relationship between parking and transit is considered, particularly park-and-rides and transitoriented development. This report provides planners, local leadership, and citizens with information about best practices for designing, managing, and regulating parking.Geographic Area Covered: DVRPC 9-county region
Key Words: parking supply, parking demand, parking generation, parking standards, parking management, transit parking, transit-oriented development, park-and-ride, kiss-and-ride, parking requirements, SmartCode, model ordinance, minimum parking, maximum parking, spillover, reserve parking, unbundled parking, parking freeze, travel demand management (TDM), employer parking, parking taxes, in-lieu parking fees, free parking, shared parking, parking entitlement, parking permits, overflow parking, parking enforcement, peripheral parking, car-sharing, parking management districts, parking benefit districts, transportation management association (TMA), surface parking, structured parking, on-street parking, hybrid parking, underground parking, bicycle parking, motorcycle and scooter parking, center parking court, tuck-under parking, back-in angle parking, 'park once', access management, landscaping, screening, lighting, liner building, 'Texas doughnut', green roof, intelligent transportation systems (ITS), advanced parking management systems (APMS), pre-trip parking information system, lot-specific parking information system, automated payment system, parking reservation system, automated parking facility, accessibility, sustainability, LEED-NC (New Construction), LEED-ND (Neighborhood Development), air quality, water quality, stormwater, flooding, nonpoint source pollution, detention basin, Best Management Practices (BMP), pervious, impervious, rain garden, filter strips, bioretention, swales, infiltration trenches, porous paving, tax-increment financing.
Staff Contact(s)
- Karin A. Morris, AICP (kmorris@dvrpc.org)
Translation Request
DVRPC’s publications or portions of publications can be translated in alternative languages and formats if requested. To request translation, please submit the form below. You can also contact DVRPC’s Office of Communications & Engagement at 215-592-1800 or public_affairs@dvrpc.org.
Title VI Statement
In effect as of January 30, 2025
The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) fully complies with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987, and related nondiscrimination mandates in all programs and activities. DVRPC is committed to ensuring that no person is excluded from participation in, or denied the benefits of, all programs and activities on the basis of race, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, disability, sexual orientation, or income level, as protected by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other related nondiscrimination mandates.
DVRPC's website, www.dvrpc.org, may be translated into multiple languages. Publications and other public documents can be made available in alternative languages and formats, if requested. DVRPC’s public meetings are always held in ADA-accessible facilities and in transit-accessible locations whenever possible. DVRPC will work to accommodate all reasonable requests for translation, interpretation, accommodations or other auxiliary services and encourages that requests be made at least seven days prior to a public meeting. Requests can be made by contacting the Commission’s ADA and Title VI Compliance Officer Shoshana Akins via email at public_affairs@dvrpc.org, calling (215) 592-1800, or while registering for an upcoming meeting.
Any person who believes they have been aggrieved by an unlawful discriminatory practice by DVRPC under Title VI has a right to file a formal complaint. Any such complaint must be in writing and filed with DVRPC's ADA and Title VI Compliance Officer Shoshana Akins and/or the appropriate state or federal agency within 180 days of the alleged discriminatory occurrence. Complaints that a program, service, or activity of DVRPC is not accessible to persons with disabilities should be directed to Shoshana Akins as well. For more information on DVRPC's Title VI program or to obtain a Title VI Complaint Form, please visit: www.dvrpc.org/GetInvolved/TitleVI, call (215) 592-1800, or email public_affairs@dvrpc.org.