Having a car gives you a lot of freedom; you don't have to wait for a bus or train to arrive, you get to stay warm or cool during extreme temperatures, you save time (unless there's traffic, in which case all bets are off).
But once you get to your destination, you have to find somewhere to put that hunk of metal on wheels.
In some cities, that's a toilsome task.
Most of us have had the experience of circling a square block for half an hour in the hopes of finding parking. Or finally finding a spot but then realizing that it's teeny tiny and our parallel parking skills are not what they used to be.
These frustrations can lead people to demand more parking. In some cities, one solution is "parking minimums," a requirement that developers build a certain number of parking spots, depending on variables like type of building, number of units and the type of district.
A lot of Pennsylvania cities have parking minimums, including Philadelphia, Allentown, Reading and Pittsburgh.
Well, in a 90-second PSA, Ottawa, Canada explains why that policy is outdated and can have disastrous consequences for urban planning.
Read the full version of this report at Keystone Crossroads' website. Keystone Crossroads is a new statewide public media initiative reporting on the challenges facing Pennsylvania's cities. WPSU is a participating station.
