Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Houston

“Elite Eight” Parking Madness: Louisville vs. Houston

NCAA basketball has nothing on the drama, the intrigue, the heartbreak of a competitive parking crater tournament. We're now into the "Elite Eight" round of Parking Madness, and today's winner will join Dallas in the Final Four. It's going to be a fierce competition between Louisville and Houston.

Louisville's downtown, you'll recall, looks like this:

This entry was submitted by Patrick Smith (@cityresearch on Twitter). Note that the grey boxes are buildings that haven't been uploaded yet to Google Earth. Local urbanists conservatively estimate that at least one-third of downtown Louisville's land area is occupied by parking.

Now southward to this anonymously-submitted Houston parking crater:

From what we can tell, spaces like this are the norm in Houston. Another submission from Houston was equally bad, but this one had a poetic twist: These particular parking lots surrounds an Exxon Mobil office building a building that houses Exxon Mobil employees. If that isn't poetic enough, there's also light rail running on Main Street, right down the middle of this parking crater.

So there you have it. Choose well. You have until 3 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday to decide the winner.

[poll id="39"]

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Analysis: What It Would Take To Put America First in Transit Again

No, it won't be easy. Yes, it can be done.

January 14, 2026

Opinion: Transportation Researchers Still Care About Equity. This Week They’re Proving It

This Thursday, progressives in transportation will fight back against the Trump administration.

January 14, 2026

Wednesday’s Headlines Still Value Life

The EPA is backtracking on stronger ozone and fine particulate regulations, which could kill thousands of people.

January 14, 2026

Why Other States Should Imitate Illinois’ Groundbreaking Transportation Reform Law

One Illinois law saved the state's transit networks from a fiscal cliff — and created a model that other communities should follow, this group argues.

January 13, 2026

In NYC, Unlicensed Drivers Comprise One-Quarter Of Street Fatalities: Data

Unlicensed drivers are linked to fatal crashes much more often now than pre-pandemic

January 13, 2026

Tuesday’s Headlines Need Exercise

Every hour in a car increases the risk of obesity by 6 percent, while walking a kilometer lowers it 5 percent.

January 13, 2026
See all posts