University of California Transportation Center

This study empirically investigates the proposition that TOD, and specifically housing near suburban rail stops, is “over-parked” in the U.S. This is done by comparing parking generation rates for 31 housing complexes near rail stops in the San Francisco Bay Area and Portland, Oregon with on-site parking supplies and with ITE parking generation rates. Factors that explain parking demand for transit-oriented housing are also investigated, both statistically and through case analyses. The results of a national survey on parking codes and variances for 80 U.S. cities with rail stops are also presented. The paper ends with several policy prescriptions that fall out of the research findings.