How Data-Driven Decisions Are Reshaping Real Estate Development

November 12, 2025 By

​Real estate has always been about “location, location, location”. Recently, however, developers and local governments have added a new twist to that: “parking, parking, parking”. The catch is they’re not always talking about adding more of it.

Cities across the country are re-evaluating their parking requirements, and the results are surprising. Requiring ample parking in each new development is now being questioned. Local governments are seeking to balance broader goals related to transportation, housing, and sustainability, while keeping parking at the forefront.

The Numbers Don’t Lie: America’s Parking Problem

Here’s a scary stat for Americans: surface parking lots now cover more than 5% of all urban land in the country. Our most valuable, dense urban areas are dedicating massive chunks of prime real estate to space where cars sit idle for most of the time. And it’s not just in urban areas. Think of the wide open spaces of professional sports stadium parking lots, manufacturing plants, and shopping malls. That’s a lot of empty space that could be used for other things, like new housing, businesses, or serving as a green space that improves the quality of life for those in the area. This reality is prompting cities to reassess their parking strategies.

Cities Are Making Bold Moves

The shift isn’t just theoretical; it’s happening right now in major markets across the country. California has eliminated parking minimums for developments within a half mile of major transit stops, as people with easy access to public transportation often don’t need as many cars or parking spaces.

Austin, Texas, went even further, eliminating parking minimums for every property type city-wide. It’s a bold experiment that other cities are watching closely, and early indicators suggest it’s working.

Why? Because not everyone has a car, especially in urban areas. When we require developers to build parking for every unit or every square foot of commercial space, we’re forcing them to subsidize car ownership, even for residents and customers who don’t own a car. In the past, the parking spaces were part of the overall value of the properties, but that’s shifting.

The Smart Money Uses Smart Data

This is where things get interesting for real estate professionals. The cities and developers who are succeeding with these new parking policies aren’t just winging it. They’re using data to make informed decisions about when and where to include parking and how to manage existing spaces.

Local governments are leveraging tools like EASI Ring studies and the Household by Vehicles data in an EASI Trend report to identify areas with high and low car ownership rates. For example, the EASI Professional Trend Report for Miami-Dade, Florida, indicates that nearly half of individuals own one vehicle, and 25% own two. Only 10% of people use public transit, with most of that being by bus (nearly 80%). This information is crucial when determining whether to maintain parking minimums for new developments or modify and eliminate them entirely for residential or commercial properties.

Imagine being able to pinpoint precisely which neighborhoods have high concentrations of car-free households and where additional greenspaces would be welcomed. That expensive underground parking garage requirement starts looking less like a necessity and more like an unnecessary cost burden.

Developers: Your Competitive Edge is in the Data

For developers, this data revolution represents a massive opportunity. Multi-unit residential projects, in particular, can benefit enormously from understanding local vehicle ownership patterns. In a recent EASI Trend Report for San Francisco, we found that nearly half of all people have one or no vehicles, so building and charging for parking spaces for every condo, house, or retail space isn’t needed. Instead, developers and city planners could use that space and budget for additional units, better amenities, or offer more competitive pricing.

Commercial Real Estate Gets Smarter Too

The benefits extend beyond residential development. Commercial properties can use Transportation to Work data from EASI Quick Reports to understand how their potential customers actually get around. The Quick Report – Professional outlines vehicle data and can be vital in understanding how people get around, both to work and beyond.

If a significant portion of your target market carpools or takes public transit to work, you might not need the massive parking lot you were planning. Instead, you could dedicate that space to outdoor dining, additional retail, or build a smaller, more efficient footprint.

Understanding these patterns helps you scale your parking allocation, potentially reducing development costs while better serving your actual customer base.

The Future is Data-Driven

The parking revolution isn’t just about reducing the number of spaces. It’s about making smarter, more informed decisions based on how people actually live and move through cities.

The developers and local governments making the smartest decisions will be those armed with the best data about their specific markets and the parking needs and requirements. Embracing this data-driven approach will put you ahead of the competition, developing projects that better serve your community while reducing costs and complexity. Local governments with access to detailed, location-specific demographic data can make more impactful decisions to design or redesign local areas in ways that meet their communities’ needs and wants.

Ready to Make Smarter Parking Decisions?

Contact EASI today to learn how our data and insights can help you make informed decisions about parking requirements in your projects and communities. Let’s turn parking from a guessing game into a strategic advantage.