The Dimensions of the Car Are Dictating the Size of Projects in This City

Miami is undergoing a transformation, one that is bringing people from the suburbs into the city’s center. As a result, the car, a vestige from the suburbs, continues to be a fundamental part of life here. However, a twenty-first 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, which means having energy-efficient buildings, public transit, bike lanes, local food resources, walkable neighborhoods, and polycenters. Miami is well on its way to that goal, but with the Miami 21 code subliminally advocating the use of the car, this goal is an impossible one to reach.‍

The current code for residential projects requires a minimum of one and a half parking spaces per residential unit, regardless of the size of the unit. The result is discrimination against smaller units in favor of larger units due to the incidence of parking costs.

In other words, the cost of parking per square foot is enormous for a small unit and very little for a large unit. While this is unfair, it is also causing a serious problem for our city: it is creating a city of exclusively luxury buildings while 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. We need affordable housing in our downtown in order to attract the smart, young workforce that will in turn attract large companies and businesses to our city.

‍The dimensions of the car are consuming critical space in our downtown: the driveway, the ramps, and the space needed to maneuver into a parking 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 lacks the small buildings that create the street character one sees in San Francisco or New York. The dimensions of the car itself are dictating the size of projects in this city.

‍Parking should be permitted, not required, by code. If developers are catering to people who like to bike, walk, use Zipcars or the Metrorail, they should be able to decide that they want to build only half a parking space per unit because more parking is unnecessary. Parking should be built according to what the market is asking for. There should not be a regulation dictating the market demand. Here we have an opportunity to create a real city in Downtown, Brickell Avenue, and in the denser areas of the city. Miami Beach has survived for years without major parking, built when there was no parking requirement. That is where people flock.

This is not about changing the infrastructure around us; it is about changing the way people live and making sure that investments and policies push towards the goal of a truly sustainable, model city. This parking requirement is impeding our goal.

Originally Published:
CLOG Magazine, Miami Issue
December 2013