Urban planners and musicians have the same goal: They want things to last. Planners develop policies to make cities sustainable, and musicians rehearse sets to get people dancing all night. In March, Seattle introduced a policy that combines both aspirations by tweaking parking rules for musicians.

Typically musicians have to double park, circle around looking for paid parking, or park illegally in passenger load zones where it takes more than the allotted three minutes to haul amps into a club. Joining forces with the city’s Office of Film and Music, the Seattle Department of Transportation has now designated 15- or 30-minute load zones at five clubs, including the Crocodile and the Triple Door, with signs that say, “Priority Musicians Loading and Unloading.”   

The band-friendly policy—which can eventually be expanded to other clubs that apply—is also a city-friendly policy, because it’s the cities with vibrant cultures that flourish and last. A footnote for futurists who are cheering this pro-car guitar policy, though: One day the only thing musicians may need to bring to a club is a thumb drive.