Those who build apartments have a good idea how much parking is needed. They have incentive to figure it out because while it costs money to build parking it costs them when someone who wants parking decides to rent elsewhere where they can find it. Getting this balance right needs to be figured out for each block though, and so the city is too big to have a code.
As you point out, it costs money to build parking, but externalizing that cost is completely free. Since there is no block-by-block governmental structure that can enact regulations to stop people externalizing the costs individually, and the outcome of no one ever having any parking unless they pay to rent a space really isn’t ideal, I think having the city make parking zones and be aware of the problems and try to do something about them is a pretty acceptable substitute.
Those who build apartments have a good idea how much parking is needed. They have incentive to figure it out because while it costs money to build parking it costs them when someone who wants parking decides to rent elsewhere where they can find it. Getting this balance right needs to be figured out for each block though, and so the city is too big to have a code.
As you point out, it costs money to build parking, but externalizing that cost is completely free. Since there is no block-by-block governmental structure that can enact regulations to stop people externalizing the costs individually, and the outcome of no one ever having any parking unless they pay to rent a space really isn’t ideal, I think having the city make parking zones and be aware of the problems and try to do something about them is a pretty acceptable substitute.