By Gabriel Fort

Miami is undergoing a transformation, one that is bringing people into the city’s center from the suburbs. As a result, the car, a vestige from the suburbs, continues to be a fundamental part of life in the tropical city. However, a 21^st century urban center cannot be focused around car culture; it goes against everything that major international hubs like Miami are trying to accomplish long-term, namely sustainability. Sustainability is having energy-efficient buildings, effective and comfortable public transit, safe bike lanes, local food resources, walkable neighborhoods, and polycenters. Miami is well on its way to that goal, but with Miami 21, the form-based zoning code of Miami, subliminally advocating the use of the car, this goal is an impossible one to reach.

The current parking code for residential projects in Miami requires a minimum of one and a half parking spaces per residential unit, regardless of the size of the unit. In other words, whether a developer is constructing a studio, one-bedroom, or four-bedroom apartment, he or she must still build 1.5 parking spaces for every unit (Plater-Zyberk). The result of this is a discrimination against smaller units in favor of larger units due to the incidence of parking costs. The cost of parking per square foot is enormous for a small unit and very little for a large unit. For example, a 500 square foot studio is required to have a corresponding 1.5 parking spaces. However, with a car occupying approximately 400 square feet between its parking space and its drive aisle, 600 square feet of garage space would need to be built in order to fulfill the 1.5 parking spaces per unit requirement. Thus, per studio apartment, there is more garage space than apartment space itself, costing the occupant an outrageous surcharge for the parking space he or she has to pay for. While this is unfair, it is also causing an extremely serious problem in Miami: it is creating a city of exclusively luxury buildings while also discouraging developers from building affordable housing units. Smaller units are unable to compete in the market because of a much higher cost per square foot caused by the increased amount of parking per square foot of unit space. Affordable housing is essential in Downtown Miami in order to attract the bright, young workforce that in turn attracts large companies and businesses to the city. The parking requirement is inhibiting this.

In addition to favoring larger units, the current parking requirement also forces developers and the city to construct large-scale mega projects. The dimensions of the car are significant and consuming critical space in Downtown: the driveway, the ramps, and the space needed to maneuver into a parking space all add together, taking up an incredible amount of space. Then there is the issue of land: fitting a garage on a site requires a large plot of land. Consequently, we are on track to become a city of mega projects like Beijing or Dubai, where everything is an enormous project and small buildings are nonexistent. Miami ultimately lacks the small buildings which create the street character one sees in San Francisco or New York due to the parking requirement. The dimensions of the car itself are dictating the size of projects in this city.

Trends show cities are clearly moving in the direction of public transportation, zipcars, biking, walking, and living close to where you work. San Francisco, for example, has set maximum parking allowance for new developments. On the other hand, current Miami code encourages parking spaces to be built when they should be discouraged. Parking should be permitted, not required, by code. If a developer is catering to people who like to bike, walk, use zipcars, or the metrorail, he or she should be able to decide to build only 0.5 parking spaces per unit because they feel perhaps that the market in Downtown or Brickell Avenue is such that more parking is unnecessary. In addition, the consumer should decide if he or she wants to live in a building where there is lots of parking, very little parking, or none at all. Parking should be built according to what the market is asking for. There should not be a regulation dictating the market demand.

Overall, there is an opportunity to create a real city in Downtown Miami, Brickell Avenue and in other dense areas of the city. Miami Beach, for example, has survived for years without major parking. In fact, the successful area in Miami Beach was built when there was no parking requirement. That is where people flock. This is not about changing the infrastructure around us but rather about changing the way people live and ensuring investments and policies push towards the goal of a truly sustainable, model city. The parking requirement is impeding this goal.

 

Sources:

Plater-Zyberk, Elizabeth, and Andres Duany. “Miami 21.” Miami21: Your City, Your Plan. N.p., Apr. 2013. Web. 23 Oct. 2013. <http://www.miami21.org/final_code_April2013.asp>.