Back in June, the city council of Edmonton, Alberta voted unanimously to drop its minimum parking requirements. It was the first major Canadian city to do so. In a subsequent news release, Kim Petrin, development services branch manager for the City of Edmonton said, “Parking is a powerful, but often hidden force that shapes how our communities are designed and influences every aspect of how people live, work and move around.” We at Strong Towns couldn’t agree more: land is a finite, valuable resource, and minimum parking requirements saddle North American towns and cities with unproductive, empty parking spaces. Land that could be an engine for prosperity and well-being instead becomes a costly burden on homeowners, small businesses, and taxpayers.