Overview:

Summary: Reducing the amount of paved impervious surface area will provide cooling by lowering the amount of stored heat in surfaces.

Implementation: Relax requirements for parking to decrease the size of parking lots and spaces, as well as increase the vegetation in highly paved areas.

Considerations for Use: This strategy is best deplayed as a component of a larger land use strategy which will vary greatly across municipalities or during development reviews.

• Policy Levers:
  
  
  MandateMandates are government regulations that require stakeholders to meet standards through building codes, ordinances, zoning policies, or other regulatory tools.
• Trigger Points:
  
  
  City planning processesIncludes city initiatives such as the development of climate action plan, pathway to zero-energy, master plan, transit plan, energy mapping etc.
  Introducing new or updated zoning/codesIncludes codes, zoning requirements or by-laws pertaining to urban planning and building construction activity.
  No-regrets actions (low cost/low effort but substantial benefit)Interventions that are relatively low-cost and low effort (in terms of requisite dependencies) but have substantial environmental and/or social benefits.
• Intervention Type:
  Buildings and Built Form
• Sectors:
  Public Works, Transportation

Impact:

• Target Beneficiaries:
  Residents
• Phase of Impact:
  Risk reduction and mitigation
• Metrics:
  Total paved area reduction

Case Studies:

• Minneapolis, MN Parking Requirement Elimination Ordinance

Implementation:

• Intervention Scale:
  Site
• Authority and Governance:
  City government
• Implementation Timeline:
  Medium-term (3-9 Years)
• Implementation Stakeholders:
  City government, Private developers, Property owners and managers
• Funding Sources:
  Public investment
• Capacity to Act:
  High

Benefits:

• Cost-Benefit:
  Low
• Public Good:
  Low
• GHG Reduction:
  N/A
• Co-benefits (Climate/Environmental):
  Improve stormwater management
• Co-benefits (Social):
  Improve the public realm