In May, the nonprofit Council of Infill Builders presented its findings on just how much parking policies have stifled Los Angeles housing. The report, titled "Wasted Spaces: Options to Reform Parking Policy in Los Angeles," spelled out current barriers for building throughout the city and larger LA County.

Some of the key barriers to adopting improved policies right now (according to the report) include public opposition due to concerns about parking availability, lack of available data on actual parking needs, excessive parking requirements, and complex planning and development processes.

If the city can get past some of these hurdles, the report does show a way forward. Participants in the Council of Infill Builders are asking for altered parking policies that allow for a free-market model of determining parking needs, demand-based parking pricing, and improved parking management from the city.

The end result, as the report states, will bring reduced traffic, lower costs and prices for housing and businesses, improved social equity for low-income and next-generation residents, and other improvements.

Currently, 14 percent of incorporated land in LA County is dedicated to parking — meaning there is substantial amounts of parking available already (which could allow for more leniency with required parking on new builds). The report also gets into issues around affordable housing parking demands being far higher than the needs of potential residents. These barriers to entry prevent more affordable housing from being built, and creates a regressive environment toward access to housing in the region.

Other portions of the report highlight environmental issues of parking misuse, and how to combat it going forward. It also highlights potential areas for success around the county, when parking demands and strategies have been improved. Specifically, it points to Santa Monica and Pasadena, as well as the Cornfield Arroyo Seco Specific Plan, which removes parking requirements on new builds altogether, while incorporating other successful strategies from Santa Monica and Pasadena’s respective approaches.