🏡 Housing Affordability and Parking in Providence, Rhode Island (AARP Article)

[Winter2025VA]

FROM THE ARTICLE.

By Joanne Binette, AARP Research. Published September 15, 2025.

Weighing in on an issue that has implications for parking, adults in Providence, Rhode Island show broad support for more affordable housing, according to a recent AARP Research survey. The findings demonstrate an urgency for the city to support parking reform as a means to encourage housing development. Three in four Providence residents age 18-49, and two in three older residents, favor reducing off-street parking requirements if it means improving the availability and affordability of housing.

USE LINK BELOW TO READ THE ARTICLE.

https://www.aarp.org/pri/topics/livable-communities/housing/providence-rhode-island-housing-and-comm...

[GailL1]

I think most people would respond to a survey in this way - but practicality and taking a survey are two different things.  

People should answer surveys like this based on themselves not others - IOW, surveys that set priority measures is worthless in practicality.- 

Perhaps some better questions would be - 

Who can do without a car?  Can you?

If you have a car, where would it go and how much would you have to pay for such a place to keep your car?  

Would you be willing to move further out of the metro area if you could have both - housing AND off-street parking?

How high should housing units be within an intercity environment?  They can go up, up, up - 

Plus, there is nothing in the survey that says what “affordable” housing might be and that depends on one’s income.  Not having off-street parking would definitely help a developer to offer units at a lower cost.  

Many people, especially many of those in intercity living, live their whole life without a car but it is something that they have structured their life to be - they walk everywhere and now today, they rely on ride services and doing lots of ordering and delivery of food and supplies.

What else takes up space that housing could go?  (1) Parks - (2) Highways and Roads - (course if you don’t have a car, you will not need a highway or road) - 

I just think that such a survey is not based on reality - I mean anybody can rate things, one over another.  But would it fit with their lives - maybe / maybe not.