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Commentary & Analysis

Best And Worst Places For Renters To Park In The Big City

By | January 14, 2016
We scoured some of America's biggest cities to find the best neighborhoods for parking.

Everyone knows that in big U. S. cities, street parking can be extremely difficult to find. For many potential buyers and renters, the price and availability of parking could make or break a housing decision.

To help provide some insight, we dug into the data for some of the densest, most notoriously-crowded U.S. cities to identify those neighborhoods where finding a spot for your car was just as, or maybe even more, difficult than finding a place to live.

Trulia and Parknav, a leading provider of real-time street parking data, teamed up to find the best and worst neighborhoods for street parking in seven major cities at peak weekday and weekend times. Then, we looked through all the homes for rent on Trulia to find out where renters stood the best chance of landing a garage or other private parking spot as part of the property.

We found interesting trends in the seven cities that we analyzed: Houston, New York (Manhattan and Brooklyn), Philadelphia, Portland, Ore., San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C.

  • For example, San Francisco’s exclusive Noe Valley neighborhood actually had relatively accommodating parking, and ample listings with private parking, while Sea Cliff, Potrero Hill and the Mission neighborhoods were stingy even by San Francisco standards.
  • Meanwhile, in New York, Brooklyn neighborhoods such as Dumbo, Coney Island and Sheepshead Bay offered scant street parking, but rentals advertised there were more likely than average to offer parking spaces. Contrast those neighborhoods with Cobble Hill, Fort Greene and Park Slope where parking – private or public is precious.
  • And in Washington, D.C., which ranked as the second worst, after Manhattan, of the seven cities we looked at for parking, we found a couple of neighborhoods such as Lower Central NE and Fairlawn not only short on public parking, but on private parking too.
  • In Philadelphia, the 10 neighborhoods with the worst street parking have very low percentage of homes that offer a dedicated parking space. Renters may want to avoid these areas if they own a car and need to drive to work.

How We Measured Parking Availability

We calculated a Parking Score, from 0 to 100, for each Trulia rental listing that we used to conduct this study. You can think of the Parking Score as a number that tells you how easy it is to find street parking within walking distance of a given listing. On this scale, 0 means parking is impossible and 100 means parking is easy. You can also drill down into some of our block-by-block listing and parking data in the methodology section at the end of this report.

Using the Parking Score for each rental listing, we were able to determine which neighborhoods in each of the seven cities that we studied had the easiest or toughest street parking. In the maps below, the darker the shaded area, the more difficult it is to find street parking in that neighborhood. Neighborhoods and areas not color-coded did not have enough data to assign a score.

Not All Neighborhood Parking in a City Is Created Equally

Every city handles its parking resources differently. So renters and buyers should consider local rules and regulations when making parking choices.

In addition, the cost of a private parking space can vary greatly city by city, neighborhood by neighborhood. For instance, even though Washington D.C. had the biggest shortage of parking, monthly prices advertised recently on Craigslist ranged from $75 to $225 for a parking space, depending on the neighborhood. In San Francisco, where parking is more plentiful, prices ranged from $200 to $400. And in Seattle, a parking spot in bustling Pike Market costs roughly $70 to $100.

San Francisco also offers residents parking permits (at an annual cost of $111) that gives locals priority for neighborhood spots. Because each city has its own varying rules regarding parking – everything from permits to time limits – renters are encouraged to contact city parking authorities for permit options.

Top 10 Worst Manhattan Neighborhoods for Street Parking
# Neighborhood Parking Score % Rentals Listed as Having Parking
1 Koreatown 12 4%
2 Hell’s Kitchen 12 3%
3 Flatiron District 13 2%
4 Civic Center 14 3%
5 Financial District 15 5%
6 Clinton 16 4%
7 Gramercy Park 16 2%
8 Midtown South Central 17 4%
9 Tribeca 17 4%
10 Chelsea 17 3%
Note: Parking scores ranged from 0 to 100, where 0 means parking is impossible and 100 means parking is easy.

 

Top 10 Best Manhattan Neighborhoods for Finding a Rental with Dedicated Parking
# Neighborhood Parking Score % Rentals Listed as Having Parking
1 Tudor City 18 33%
2 Garment District 19 7%
3 Theater District – Times Square 18 6%
4 Battery Park City 18 5%
5 Financial District 15 5%
6 Roosevelt Island 38 4%
7 Midtown East 21 4%
8 Sutton Place 19 4%
9 Midtown Center 18 4%
10 Midtown South Central 17 4%
Note: Parking scores ranged from 0 to 100, where 0 means parking is impossible and 100 means parking is easy.

Top 10 Worst Brooklyn Neighborhoods for Street Parking
# Neighborhood Parking Score % Rentals Listed as Having Parking
1 Vinegar Hill 19 27%
2 Columbia Street Waterfront District 22 3%
3 Boerum Hill 23 9%
4 Cobble Hill 23 3%
5 Downtown/DUMBO 24 17%
6 Bay Ridge and Fort Hamilton 26 7%
7 Sunset Park 26 5%
8 Fort Greene 28 6%
9 Gowanus 28 7%
10 Brooklyn Heights 28 3%
Note: Parking scores ranged from 0 to 100, where 0 means parking is impossible and 100 means parking is easy.

 

Top 10 Best Brooklyn Neighborhoods for Finding a Rental with Dedicated Parking
# Neighborhood Parking Score % Rentals Listed as Having Parking
1 Brighton Beach 40 30%
2 Vinegar Hill 19 27%
3 Manhattan Beach 40 26%
4 Coney Island 38 23%
5 Bergen Beach 30 23%
6 Downtown/DUMBO 24 17%
7 Sheepshead Bay 33 15%
8 Windsor Terrace 34 14%
9 Marine Park 33 12%
10 East Flatbush 35 11%
Note: Parking scores ranged from 0 to 100, where 0 means parking is impossible and 100 means parking is easy.

 

 

Top 10 Worst San Francisco Neighborhoods for Street Parking
# Neighborhood Parking Score % Rentals Listed as Having Parking
1 Stonestown Apartments 19 25%
2 SoMa 20 37%
3 South Beach 20 44%
4 Financial District 20 24%
5 Mission Bay 21 40%
6 Ingleside Heights 22 50%
7 Chinatown 23 20%
8 Tenderloin 23 6%
9 Downtown 23 20%
10 Civic Center 23 27%
Note: Parking scores ranged from 0 to 100, where 0 means parking is impossible and 100 means parking is easy.

 

Top 10 Best San Francisco Neighborhoods for Finding a Rental with Dedicated Parking
# Neighborhood Parking Score % Rentals Listed as Having Parking
1 Presidio 35 63%
2 Merced Manor 37 60%
3 Ingleside Heights 22 50%
4 Twin Peaks 53 48%
5 South Beach 20 44%
6 Diamond Heights 63 43%
7 Miraloma 51 43%
8 Ingleside 26 41%
9 Sunnyside 42 41%
10 Mission Bay 21 40%
Note: Parking scores ranged from 0 to 100, where 0 means parking is impossible and 100 means parking is easy.

Top 10 Worst Washington, D.C. Neighborhoods for Street Parking

# Neighborhood Parking Score % Rentals Listed as Having Parking
1 Barry Farm 12 37%
2 Southwest – Waterfront 13 31%
3 Trinidad 13 20%
4 Fairlawn 13 7%
5 Historic Anacostia 13 13%
6 Near Northeast 14 57%
7 Park View 14 24%
8 Ivy City 14 0%
9 Near Southeast 14 34%
10 Randle Highlands 14 27%
Note: Parking scores ranged from 0 to 100, where 0 means parking is impossible and 100 means parking is easy.

 

Top 10 Best Washington, D.C Neighborhoods for Finding a Rental with Dedicated Parking
# Neighborhood Parking Score % Rentals Listed as Having Parking
1 Near Northeast 14 57%
2 Douglass 16 50%
3 Friendship Heights 16 48%
4 Burleith – Hillandale 16 46%
5 North Michigan Park 16 43%
6 Fort Totten 16 40%
7 Stronghold 14 40%
8 Barry Farm 12 37%
9 Tenleytown 16 35%
10 Fort Lincoln 15 35%
Note: Parking scores ranged from 0 to 100, where 0 means parking is impossible and 100 means parking is easy.

 

 

Top 10 Worst Houston Neighborhoods for Street Parking
# Neighborhood Parking Score % Rentals Listed as Having Parking
1 Northshore 3 38%
2 Clinton Park Tri-Community 15 14%
3 Memorial 16 30%
4 Central Southwest 16 54%
5 Fourth Ward 17 53%
6 Downtown 18 10%
7 Midtown 19 31%
8 Fort Bend Houston 19 57%
9 Binz 20 44%
10 Washington Ave.- Memorial Park 20 23%
Note: Parking scores ranged from 0 to 100, where 0 means parking is impossible and 100 means parking is easy.

 

Top 10 Best Houston Neighborhoods for Finding a Rental with Dedicated Parking
# Neighborhood Parking Score % Rentals Listed as Having Parking
1 South Acres- Crestmont Park 20 64%
2 Westbury 33 62%
3 Lawndale- Wayside 28 62%
4 Langwood 31 59%
5 Fort Bend Houston 19 57%
6 Central Southwest 16 54%
7 Fourth Ward 17 53%
8 Oak forest- Garden Oaks 30 51%
9 Pecan Park 27 48%
10 Braeburn 26 47%
Note: Parking scores ranged from 0 to 100, where 0 means parking is impossible and 100 means parking is easy.

Top 10 Worst Philadelphia Neighborhoods for Street Parking
# Neighborhood Parking Score % Rentals Listed as Having Parking
1 East Parkside 21 11%
2 Belmont 28 2%
3 Bridesburg 29 9%
4 Center City West 29 6%
5 Wynnefield Heights 30 19%
6 Haverford North 31 20%
7 Mill Creek 32 24%
8 Fitler Square 32 12%
9 Juniata Park- Feltonville 33 15%
10 Tioga- Nicetown 33 2%
Note: Parking scores ranged from 0 to 100, where 0 means parking is impossible and 100 means parking is easy.

 

Top 10 Best Philadelphia Neighborhoods for Finding a Rental with Dedicated Parking
# Neighborhood Parking Score % Rentals Listed as Having Parking
1 Penn’s Landing 90 45%
2 Oxford Circle- Castor 48 38%
3 Fairmount Park 34 33%
4 Torresdale 40 32%
5 Bustleton 46 31%
6 Mayfair 38 30%
7 Roxborough 33 29%
8 Northeast Philadelphia 33 28%
9 Holmesburg 37 28%
10 East Falls 46 27%
Note: Parking scores ranged from 0 to 100, where 0 means parking is impossible and 100 means parking is easy.

Top 10 Worst Seattle Neighborhoods for Street Parking
# Neighborhood Parking Score % Rentals Listed as Having Parking
1 Pioneer Square 16 13%
2 International District 20 30%
3 Central Business District 22 25%
4 Pike Market 22 44%
5 Belltown 26 29%
6 Yesler Terrace 30 32%
7 South-Lake Union 33 18%
8 South Park 37 19%
9 Broadway 38 25%
10 Portage Bay 42 45%
Note: Parking scores ranged from 0 to 100, where 0 means parking is impossible and 100 means parking is easy.

 

Top 10 Best Seattle Neighborhoods for Finding a Rental with Dedicated Parking
# Neighborhood Parking Score % Rentals Listed as Having Parking
1 Broadview 55 62%
2 Haller Lake 43 58%
3 Maple Leaf 57 56%
4 Matthews Beach 56 56%
5 Victory Heights 45 55%
6 View Ridge 61 54%
7 South Delridge 54 55%
8 Gatewood 55 52%
9 North Queen Anne 49 52%
10 Seaview 58 51%
Note: Parking scores ranged from 0 to 100, where 0 means parking is impossible and 100 means parking is easy.

Top 10 Worst Portland Neighborhoods for Street Parking
# Neighborhood Parking Score % Rentals Listed as Having Parking
1 Homestead 17 31%
2 Chinatown-Old Town 17 39%
3 Corbett-Terwilliger Lair Hill 18 33%
4 Pearl 19 48%
5 Downtown 22 19%
6 Hayden Island 22 38%
7 Buckman 24 6%
8 Southwest Hills 26 13%
9 Kerns 26 10%
10 Goose Hollow 26 12%
Note: Parking scores ranged from 0 to 100, where 0 means parking is impossible and 100 means parking is easy.

 

Top 10 Best Portland Neighborhoods for Finding a Rental with Dedicated Parking
# Neighborhood Parking Score % Rentals Listed as Having Parking
1 South Burlingame 31 59%
2 Alameda 33 50%
3 Cedar Hills – Cedar Mill 32 49%
4 Pearl 19 48%
5 Cedar Hills – Cedar Mill North 31 45%
6 Sumner 30 43%
7 Ashcreek 32 42%
8 Wilkes 33 42%
9 Garden Home – Raleigh Hills 33 40%
10 Overlook 31 40%
Note: Parking scores ranged from 0 to 100, where 0 means parking is impossible and 100 means parking is easy.

 

 

 

Methodology

To determine the best neighborhoods for street parking in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, and Houston, we created parking scores for neighborhoods, streets and actual Trulia rental listings using Parknav’s proprietary street parking availability data. We did this by looking at how difficult or easy it is to park on five typical days including weekdays and a Saturday, during evening and morning times, on a street-by-street level. Parking scores ranged from 0 to 100, where 0 means parking is impossible and 100 means parking is easy.

We calculated street parking scores by averaging all of the parking probability samples assigned to a given street within a city.

We then calculated listing parking scores by averaging the street parking score of each street that was within a mile distance from actual homes for rent on Trulia between January 2015 and October 2015.

Neighborhood parking scores were calculated by taking the median of listing parking scores belonging to each given neighborhood. For certain cities where listing parking scores were not calculable, we took the median of the street parking scores belonging to each neighborhood. These neighborhood-parking scores were used to power the street parking neighborhood maps that are colored in red-orange.

Maps colored in green, which show the percentage of rental listings purporting to have onsite parking, were created using rental listed on Trulia from January 2015 to October 2015. Neighborhoods with insufficient sample size were not colored/populated.

If you would like to see street-level parking scores that are used in calculating some of our neighborhood-level parking scores, you can click on the following links (embed codes are available for each interactive maps):

 

New York: Manhattan

https://trulia.cartodb.com/u/cartodb-trulia/viz/18751076-a43d-11e5-9a04-0e31c9be1b51/public_map

 

New York: Brooklyn

https://trulia.cartodb.com/u/cartodb-trulia/viz/15d545d8-a5dd-11e5-b2ae-0e31c9be1b51/public_map

 

San Francisco

https://trulia.cartodb.com/u/cartodb-trulia/viz/f6c4176c-a43f-11e5-95bc-0e674067d321/public_map

 

Seattle

https://trulia.cartodb.com/u/cartodb-trulia/viz/f3cbf8bc-84d8-11e5-a5ed-0e8c56e2ffdb/public_map

 

Washington DC

https://trulia.cartodb.com/u/cartodb-trulia/viz/5a7b546a-a43f-11e5-a99a-0e787de82d45/public_map

 

Portland

https://trulia.cartodb.com/u/cartodb-trulia/viz/521fbeae-a440-11e5-8259-0e3ff518bd15/public_map

 

Houston

https://trulia.cartodb.com/u/cartodb-trulia/viz/0d951c7e-a441-11e5-9ffc-0e674067d321/public_map

 

Philadelphia

https://trulia.cartodb.com/u/cartodb-trulia/viz/d15b4e92-a43e-11e5-855a-0ecd1babdde5/public_map