NITA
Contact
THE BOULEVARD AND HARMONY SQUARE PLAZA

People Over Parking Act

An element of the Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA) Act is the creation of the People Over Parking Act (POPA), a new Illinois law effective June 1, 2026.  The new law no longer allows municipalities to impose minimum parking requirements for new developments located near transit stations and high-frequency bus routes, applying to new development projects located one-half mile from a Public Transportation Hub or one-eighth of a mile from a Public Transportation Corridor. Excessive off-street parking requirements often lead to higher development costs near transit, under-utilized land of high value near transit, and a decrease in walkability.

Learn more and view a map on this page or at https://nita.illinois.gov/popamap.
THE BOULEVARD AND HARMONY SQUARE PLAZA

Explore POPA in Your Community

To support implementation of POPA, NITA staff, in close coordination with Metra, CTA, Pace and Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) staff, created a mapping tool depicting all locations in the region to which the Act applies. Explore the interactive map and read more in the methodology document. 

These resources are intended to assist municipalities to align their parking regulations with POPA; the map is an interactive tool that municipalities can use to understand where new developments would be subject to POPA and subsequently revise parking regulations in those locations. 

 Explore the POPA Map

Public Comment

NITA is accepting comment on the People of Parking Act (POPA) implementation and map. Please submit a comment below or by emailing communications@nita.illinois.gov.

RTA
CTA
Metra
Pace
Copyright © 2026 Northern Illinois Transit Authority. All Rights Reserved.