The City of Minneapolis, Minn., this week moved to eliminate off-street parking minimums throughout the city, becoming the third major U.S. municipality to do so.
One source reported that 29 percent of renting households in Minneapolis do not own cars. The move by the city is part of its Minneapolis 2040 plan, designed to reduce emissions by 80 percent by 2050. A sub-goal of that plan is to reduce local miles driven by 40 percent. Along with eliminating parking minimums, the plan prohibits auto-focused land uses near Metro stations–this includes auto repair shops–and will no longer allow gas stations or drive-throughs to be built downtown.