When off-street lot parking is not replaced, local business in some less robust neighborhoods, can suffer. This, in turn, can cause an urban neighborhood to lose its health and vibrancy. These neighborhoods not only serve the existing residents, but are desirable locations for new housing because they offer the very qualities that make the community attractive and viable. For neighborhood retail, the area from which a store draws customers is generally 1.5 miles, which puts many customers well beyond convenient walking distance. This radius slowly diminishes as density of housing or employment increases.
Densities are also too low in most centers to support transit services.
Most of these businesses, however, cannot afford to offer free parking in garages, and few customers will pay much to park in neighborhood business districts. Without parking, customers will go elsewhere. Transition periods such as the current one are very dangerous. When neighborhood centers are jeopardized by the loss of businesses because of parking problems, the attractiveness of the neighborhood to current and new residents and businesses is also jeopardized. Our continued reliance on cars in urban areas creates several issues.