From Austin to Anchorage, U.S. cities opt to ditch their off-street parking minimums

Austin, Texas, is the country's largest city to toss out its requirements for off-street car parking. The city hopes removing the mandates will encourage other modes of transportation and help housing affordability. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

The city council in Austin, Texas recently proposed something that could seem like political Kryptonite: getting rid of parking minimums.

Those are the rules that dictate how much off-street parking developers must provide — as in, a certain number of spaces for every apartment and business.