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Guckert, Wes. “Can Parking Garages Alleviate the Housing and Homelessness Crisis? - Route Fifty.” Route-Fifty.com, 2024, www.route-fifty.com/infrastructure/2024/10/can-parking-garages-alleviate-housing-and-homelessness-crisis/400137/?oref=rf-homepage-riverr. Accessed 17 Jan. 2025.

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Could converting underused parking garages and lots be another key tool in solving the housing crisis? In a commentary in Route Fifty, Wes Guckert argues that the reduced need for parking in many cities offers an opportunity to simultaneously reactivate underutilized spaces and create much-needed housing.

Guckert points to examples in Los Angeles and San Diego, where city officials worked with architectural firms to retrofit parking garages with modular housing units for unhoused residents. According to Guckert, "The standard structure of most garages, combined with their near universal dimensions based on the unitized size of a parking space, allows for prefabricated housing pods such as those used in L.A. to be easily placed within the facility's concrete shell."

Former garages and surface lots are also being used for brand-new construction when retrofitting existing buildings would be too expensive or impractical. In these cases, cities can support such projects by smoothing the process for rezoning and reducing parking requirements for the new developments.

Guckert concludes, "As state and local governments continue to confront the problems of affordable housing and homelessness, and garage operators struggle to keep their heads above water, an opportunity clearly exists to address all of these issues at once."

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Retrofitting Parking Garages to Create New Housing

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Underused parking garages and lots offer an opportunity to alleviate the housing crisis by retrofitting them with temporary and permanent housing options.

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The housing crisis is a highly relevant issue to today's houseless society, Wes Guckert, President & CEO of The Traffic Group, writes. Some officials argue that transforming these ghost parking lots into affordable apartments for low-income citizens or simple modular homes for the homeless could be the key to the housing crisis. Of course, it won't be as simple as it sounds, due to zoning regulations and conversion bans. However, given that these structures are often not efficiently used, especially after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ubiquitous use of rideshare apps like Uber or Lyft, we should consider turning these parking garages into livable spaces for the homeless. But no real change is possible without a combination of community input, government action, and company responsibility.

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LOS ANGELES

Los Angeles is the second most populous city in the nation, known for its friendly climate, bustling pop culture, and delicious cuisine. LA boasts a city population of 3.8+ million and a county population of 9.6+ million. Unfortunately, according to the 2024 Homeless Count: Forward Momentum, approximately 75,000 of people in LA County and around 45,000 people in the city of LA are homeless. Part of the reason is due to the housing crisis, which has only been heightened in the metropolis of LA, which has a shortage of almost of 337,000 homes.

A key planning issue under consideration is how to best address the homelessness issue, which is ultimately linked back to the housing crisis.

Some argue that expanding tax credits for lower-income housing will help while others argue that developing more apartments is the answer. However, not many have considered converting empty or nearly empty parking garages into livable spaces for the homeless and other low-income people.

As easy as this sounds, many changes in policy would have to go into effect for the parking garages to be converted. Zoning requirements in some states and cities prohibit the conversion of a commercial property into a residential property. Furthermore, since there are parking minimums built into the zoning regulations, it could be difficult to fully achieve this goal. Since LA is such a dense city already, this may cause an uptick in traffic since there would be less space for people to park their cars.

This planning project has already been implemented in some cities, including Los Angeles. In fact, LA officials worked with the architectural firm Gensler to convert multiple garages into dozens of livable pods meant for the homeless. However, this is within the minority. It will take time for these changes to affect the majority of large cities in the U.S.

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I found this topic interesting overall because it's something I always thought about. Even though there are so many parking lots in the city, I feel that many of them aren't used properly and efficiently so it makes sense to convert some of them into livable spaces.

I find this specific planning topic, the issue of parking reform, interesting because I am passionate about addressing the needs of the marginalized and because I am passionate about efficiency. I feel that this planning policy goes hand in hand with my values.

How does this affect me? As a resident of LA County with several families that live within the city itself, I always felt sad whenever I passed by a homeless person on the street. I think this policy could bring about a lot of good in the world, despite its legal roadblocks.

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Feargus O'Sullivan. “Paris Climate Plan Targets Emissions by Replacing Parking with Trees.” Bloomberg.com, Bloomberg, 18 Nov. 2024, www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-11-18/paris-climate-plan-targets-emissions-by-replacing-parking-with-trees. Accessed 17 Jan. 2025.

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According to Paris' 2024-2030 Climate Plan, Paris plans to remove 60,000 parking spaces and plant thousands of trees in their place. The city's recent vulnerability to summer heat waves has only bolstered the city's resolve to choose a human-centered future over a car-centered one. At the time of this article's writing, the plan was in the midst of being voted through in a council where the party of the proponents of this initiative hold a majority. The plan to transform parking lots into green spaces join past initiatives that seek to reintroduce green space in a hyper-modern car-dominated city such as Paris.

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Paris

Paris is the capital of France, with a history spanning over 2,000 years. In modern years, it has become known as the international hub for advocates for the fight against climate change. The Paris Agreement was a legally binding international treaty in 2015 that pledged to limit global warming to 1.5–2°C above pre-industrial levels. Thus, the 2024-2030 Climate Plan is nothing new to Paris citizens.

The plan to remove 60,000 parking spaces may not be that big of an issue for Paris residents. According to Apur, 85 of the 131 municipalities in Greater Paris reported a drop in the number of registered vehicles of over 0.5%. This squares with Parisian modes of transportation. According to a study by the Institut Paris Region, an urban planning agency, Parisians prefer to walk or bike around the city rather than drive around the city. Therefore, a removal of 60,000 parking spaces— a move that may raise more than a couple eyebrows in New York City— may not affect the pedestrians of Paris.

There are several planning issues under consideration. A majority of them have to do with mitigating the extream heat caused by climate change while simultaneously reducing the impact that Paris has on climate change. By introducing thousands of trees in place of wasteful parking spaces, the city hopes to create a natural cooling effect across the city.

Relevant debates (pros vs. cons)

Aside from the removal of 60,000 parking spaces, there would be several changes in policy under the 2024-2030 Climate Plan, including: establishing 300 hectares of new green space by 2030, creating "oasis squares" in each of Paris' 20 arrondissements, and a reduced speed limit of 50 kph.

According to an article by France 24, the Paris City Council adopted its climate plan. However, they did not do so without opposition. Right-wing party members did not think it was realistic to find/create an equivalent of 420 football stadiums in Paris. However, proponents of the plan ensured citizens that plans are already being made to get this plan running.

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I learned that in order to be a good planner, you must consider the character of the cities in question. I was surprised that there was little opposition to the removal of 60,000 parking spaces in Paris. However, after learning that Paris is largely a pedestrian-friendly and biker-friendly city, while examining it within the context of its general climate-aware disposition, it started to make a lot of sense.

I think transforming the 60,000 parking spaces into green areas is a good idea. I certainly think larger cities like cities deserve greener spaces to do more than "survive" in the city. However, I wonder if some of these parking spaces could have been used to create housing for the unhoused population in Paris.

This affects me, as an intern at the Environmental Protection Agency. It warms my heart to see that some cities are making gradual changes to bring greenery back into the cities. It's also encouraging to know that the Parisian plan will only benefit our impact on climate change. Perhaps that can be an example for our American society.

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Greene, Barry Jr. “A Virginia Church Plans to Convert Parking into Housing.” Nextcity.org, 26 Jan. 2024, nextcity.org/urbanist-news/virginia-church-set-to-convert-parking-lot-into-housing. Accessed 17 Jan. 2025.

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Village of Faith Ministries is a black Christian church based just outside of Richmond, Virginia, with the mission of converting its underused property in the Midlothian neighborhood into 192 apartments and 40 townhomes. The leaders of the church pitched several project ideas that they thought would meet the church's goal of passing on a church building to the next generation debt-free, but also positively impacting their local community. "Our churches should not be vacant Monday through Saturday," Senior Pastor Michael Jones noted. Pastor Jones' parking reform initiative is just one of many faith-based programs aimed at addressing the housing crisis, including those that create tiny homes. These organizations responded to the "Not in My Backyard" (NIMBY) resistance development with "Yes, in God's Backyard" (YIGBY).

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Richmond (including neighboring Sandston and Midlothian)

Richmond is one of the oldest cities in the United States, with a rich history reaching back to colonial times. Currently, Richmon houses 226,000 people within its borders.

Village of Faith Ministries plan on converting their 1.5-acre part of their property into 240 units of housing. According to a recent analysis by Point 2 Homes, Richmond is the 9th worst city to purchase a home, particularly for members of Gen Z with just a 1.5% homeownership rate. Although the 240 units of housing will not completely resolve the housing issue in Richmond, it will benefit the local community.

Some planning issues under consideration include collaborating with national homebuilder D.R. Horton, communicating with the local government, and trying to make the housing as affordable and accessible as possible. The writers of the article mention how a proposal to go five or six stories high was rejected by the county.

The article mentions how the push for affordable housing have been met with resistance through the NIMBY ("Not In My Backyard") movement. However, in response to this response, there has been a faith-based YIGBY ("Yes, In God's Backyard") movement that seeks to address housing issues through faith community properties. NIMBY proponents fear development in their local area because they fear an uptick in crime and decreased property values, while YIGBY proponents believe offering affordable housing to the marginalized is more important than the potential consequences.

Some changes to policy would include zoning regulation, conversion regulations (regarding what structures/lots can be converted to residential properties), and more.

The project is currently underway!

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I found this article interesting because it is faith-based in particular. It's really awesome to see a faith-based community taking their message outside of the walls of the church and seeking to make a positive impact in their local community.

Although I think Parking Reuse is a fascinating topic in and of itself, I find it particularly meaningful when these spaces are used to help the unhoused.

This affects me personally, as a Christian who actively engages in a faith-based community and church. This article challenged me to get out of my comfort zone. It showed me how, as a congregation, there's so much that churches can do to help their local city.

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When comparing the three articles, I am drawn to their ultimate goals. Each of these projects aim to convert unused parking spaces into relevant human spaces. However, I believe the goal of the first and third articles are far more illuminating than the second, although the second project's is noble as well. I think this is because it's personally more heartwarming to see that these projects will have a direct impact on the lives of hundreds and perhaps even thousands of residents in the years to come. On the other hand, the Paris climate project, although aimed at protecting the environment and local human health, is already one of many initiatives in Paris to fight climate change. The first article regarding parking garages and the homelessness crisis was more thorough than the third article. The writer posed the problem, addressed previous proposed solutions, and then offered a solution of his own, while acknowledging the downsides of the proposal. Because the article was so thorough, it was not very difficult to write up descriptive points. Overall, all three articles were engaging, although I found myself favoring the initiative to transform parking lots into livable environments.

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Daul, Kimberly. “Paris | Definition, Points of Interest, Facts, & History.” Encyclopædia Britannica, 2019, www.britannica.com/place/Paris.

JONAH, Anaelle. “Green Spaces and Social Housing: Paris’s “Bioclimatic” Plan to Transform the City by 2035.” France 24, FRANCE 24, 22 Nov. 2024, www.france24.com/en/europe/20241122-green-spaces-and-social-housing-paris-s-bioclimatic-plan-to-transform-the-city-by-2035. Accessed 17 Jan. 2025.

Riou, Dominique. “The Bicycle Finds Its Place amid Daily Mobility - Institut Paris Région En.” L’Institut Paris Region, 2015, en.institutparisregion.fr/know-how/mobility/the-bicycle-finds-its-place-amid-daily-mobility/. Accessed 17 Jan. 2025.

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County of Los Angeles. “Our Challenge – Homeless Initiative.” Homeless.lacounty.gov, homeless.lacounty.gov/our-challenge/.

Pitt, Leonard. “Los Angeles - Landscape | Britannica.” Encyclopædia Britannica, 2019, www.britannica.com/place/Los-Angeles-California/Landscape.

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Ciuntu, Alexandra. “Gen Z Homebuying Havens: Cities Where Young Americans Stand a Chance of Owning a Home.” Point2Homes News, 17 Jan. 2024, www.point2homes.com/news/us-real-estate-news/gen-z-homebuying-havens.html. Accessed 17 Jan. 2025.

Clement, Imani. “Why This Study Says Gen Z’s Chances of Buying a Home in Richmond Are Slim to None.” CBS 6 News Richmond WTVR, 31 Jan. 2024, www.wtvr.com/news/local-news/gen-z-homebuying-richmond-jan-29-2024. Accessed 17 Jan. 2025.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Brittanica. “Richmond | Virginia, United States.” Encyclopedia Britannica, www.britannica.com/place/Richmond-Virginia.