Replacing Bangkok’s Minimum Parking Requirements for Condominiums with Maximum Parking Limits: Preliminary Legal and Policy Recommendations

Abstract

This research analyzes minimum parking requirements for condominiums. The study’s
main objectives are observing the consequences of the requirements and determining whether
Bangkok’s parking minimums should be reformed using a documentary and historical research
methodology. The research finds that, despite their popularity, many critics have argued that the
requirementshavenegativeconsequences forurbanareas. Inadditiontounnecessarily increasing housing costs, parking minimums may also belinked toincreased automobile dependency, urbansprawl, inequality gap, and other urban issues. Furthermore, these parking minimums may contradict urban policies and act as legal barriers in preventing authorities from solving city problems. Many urbanists have, therefore, called for the minimum parking requirements reform, and several significant changes have been made in many cities, including in London and New York City. In terms of Bangkok’s parking minimums, the research finds that the requirements are likely to increase condominium buildings’ pricesunnecessarily and causeotherurbanchallenges. After examining Bangkok’s minimum parking requirements, these concerns are unsurprising. The city’s parking minimums criteria applicable to condominiums have been in place for almost five decades virtually without change. The age of these requirements is a factor in their irregularities,
particularly the lack of many factors that should have been used in the calculation of the
required parking spaces. The author of this research then proposes preliminary reform by
replacing Bangkok’s parking minimums with maximum parking limits. In addition, the number of beds in a dwelling unit, distance, as well as availability, to designated public transport stations will be used to calculate the parking space limits. Although these calculations could not tackle
every challenge that Bangkok faces, the proposal would aid in solving significant flaws in the
current city’s minimum parking requirements and address parking and urban issues. Additionally,
theauthor suggests thaturbanistexperts conductempirical and interdisciplinary studies regarding parking requirements to fill existing research gaps and develop more practical solutions and reforms on parking-related issues in the future. Along with the proposal, these reforms would sustainably pave the way for developing a city that works for the many, rather than for a few car drivers.