Pere said that the current regulations are outdated, adding that the proposed changes would help reduce traffic congestion and vehicle dependency.

The regulations related to the Kesklinn (City Center) area rather than the more outlying suburbs.

Pere told ERR that building 100 new apartments need not equate to 100 new cars, or 1,000 new cars, yet up to now the City of Tallinn has mandated that each new apartment must include at least on parking space as an integral part of the development.

These parking spaces are often subterranean.

Pere said: "The city has via its planning regulations been demanding far too many parking spaces."

"We do not need that many parking spaces in new developments. Developers, city planners and architects alike have been saying this for years," Pere went on, adding that research also backs up this view.

The deputy mayor added that a single parking space in the City Center district costs around €30,000, and buyers of new builds have no choice but to purchase it, even though not every household wants or needs multiple parking spaces, or even one.

Pere cited the example of the redeveloped Noblessner district of Põhja-Tallinn (North Tallinn), where only half of the parking spaces required by the former city administration actually got filled.

He argued that the current regulations create traffic congestion, as people are forced to buy parking spaces alongside their homes. He believes that this should be a matter of personal choice.

From an urban planning perspective, decision makers need to take into consideration the impact of their decisions, over decades, Pere noted. By easing parking space requirements, developing cycle paths, and making public transport and walking quicker and more convenient, the city can cut car dependency and traffic jams, he said.

"As a result, you won't need a car to go everywhere, all the time. You won't have to play taxi driver to your kids," Pere went on.

Pere also compared Tallinn's parking requirements alongside those of other cities: Riga's regulations require 0.3 to 0.7 spaces per apartment, Oslo 0.35 to 0.7, Stockholm up to 0.4, and soon to be up to just 0.1, and Gothenburg 0.25 to 0.5.

In Helsinki, apartments can even be built without any parking spaces included, with the exception of spaces for vehicles for the disabled, and shared electric cars are, which are preferred and permissible.

Pere noted that the sparse development in the Kesklinn district still reflects the postwar aftermath of the March 1944 bombing of Tallinn, which necessitates denser construction in order to benefit everyone.

He said: "This will directly be reflected in lower real estate prices as the supply increases, and parking spaces are unnecessary. That's what the market, meaning developers, and city planners, i.e. the experts, say. We can look at how this future has already been built for many years in Helsinki, Stockholm, Copenhagen, and many cities in the Netherlands."

As for Juhkentali tänav, where the owner of Tallinn Bus Station has expressed dissatisfaction with the city's construction plans, Pere said the city has neglected that are for years, and traffic management there is poor. Eliminating parking space requirements for new developments in the area would help reduce traffic congestion.

"We are talking about basic principles which have been practiced in other Nordic cities for 10-20 years," the deputy mayor said, stressing that all positions for and against when it comes to urban planning and city management must be based on expert knowledge.

The process of changing the parking regulations has already begun, with the city planning department handling that, and the transportation department also providing advice. Pere was unable to say when the process would be finalized but hopes it could happen this fall.

Real estate firms and builders support law change

In May, the CEOs of the Estonian real estate companies association and the construction contractors association addressed the minister of justice, highlighting that Tallinn demands a fixed number of parking spaces even when apartment buyers are not interested in them. Building an underground parking space in particular costs €25,000 to €30,000.

"Essentially, apartment buyers are forced to purchase property (and pay for it) that they do not want, while it could be required by nearby residents," both associations said.

The problem would, it is argued, not be as severe if developers were permitted to determine the number of parking spaces themselves, but Tallinn's current regulations do not allow for this and so do not reflect actual needs or flexibility.

"In practice, owners of smaller (one- to two-room) and more affordable apartments generally do not want a parking space, as it is viable to get around the city without owning a private car," the association leaders wrote.

They requested that the relevant legislation be amended so that parking spaces are separate properties that can be freely sold.

"We believe that apartment buyers should be able to decide for themselves whether they want to buy an apartment with a parking space or not, but forcibly linking every sold apartment with a parking space is unreasonable. The only possible and reasonable solution is to allow parking spaces to be detached from specific apartments, finding flexible solutions for the legal issues involved," the associations wrote to the minister.

They also stated that the city is required solve the parking issues on its own territory, without interfering with individuals' fundamental property rights.

Parking space sales pose challenges for developers

Real estate analyst Tõnu Toompark meanwhile said that the issue of parking spaces is a very complicated one. Developers want to erect fewer of them because they are difficult to sell and costly to construct, he said.

"Often, people who buy an apartment purchase the most expensive one they can but do not buy a parking space, leaving developers in a bind with the unsold parking spaces," Toompark explained.

This means that, according to Toompark, developers indeed prefer to build fewer parking spaces, although he does not consider that in itself a good idea.

"When a somewhat larger building with at least 30 apartments is completed, we can see the kind of parking situation that arises. People buy apartments and then somehow try to park, but in reality, they cannot. They start looking for hidden spots or places on their own plots or, if they cannot fit, on the street," he said.

Toompark said that if a family buys a costlier apartment in the city center, it means they likely have a car, as while one can walk or take a tram to the cinema or theater, a car is usually needed for longer trips, especially if there are small children.

"Various car-sharing options reduce the need to own a car but do not eliminate it. You cannot rely on a rental car," he said, adding that for a family with three children, not every rental car would be suitable because a more spacious back seat is required.

However, Toompark said he thinks it entirely reasonable that one apartment should not always equate to one parking space, as there is no need for this with studio apartments in accessible locations, for instance.

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