Nearly 40%
Detroit has a parking problem.
It’s not that there’s too little. There’s far too much, and it’s a big problem.
- Parking makes up nearly 40% of all land parcels in downtown Detroit.
- There are an estimated 800 million parking spaces in the United States, serving 212 million licensed drivers. There are almost four parking spots per driver.
- Detroit zoning laws require that developers include a minimum amount of free parking that can far exceed true market demand. Parking minimums inflate development costs, which developers pass along to end-users in the form of higher prices and rents.
Surface parking keeps spreading.
- There is more parking now than at any point in Detroit’s history.
- With an affordable housing shortage of 109,000 units in the region, Detroit needs more affordable housing, not more space to store cars.
- The mistaken belief that Detroit doesn’t have enough parking, when it actually has far too much, puts Detroit at further risk of continued loss of its historic building stock.
Change is needed.
- Until common-sense solutions are studied and implemented, we call for a moratorium on new commercial surface parking lots in downtown Detroit.
Be a part of the solution.
Detroit then and now
Hundreds, if not thousands, of historic structures were leveled for surface parking, starting in the early 20th century and continuing to the present day. These buildings, if still standing, could provide much-needed housing.
