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

The Long, Painful History of Terrible Parking Policy in One 71-Second Cartoon

If you haven't been keeping up with Sightline Institute's excellent series on the scourge of parking minimums, you've been missing out. They've posted 11 readable and informative articles on the subject. From here, Sightline is pivoting from problems to solutions, and we'll be sharing their next few posts on Streetsblog, as well as re-posting some of the most revelatory moments from their series so far.

Here's a quick way to get caught up: 71 seconds of cartoon-watching to understand how such bad decisions get made. It's the depressingly simple story of how the Institute of Transportation Engineers' hugely influential "Parking Generation" manual came to cover our country with parking.

If you'd like to take the long way, you can also read roughly the same story in just 1,025 words in the eighth installment of the "Parking? Lots!" series.

Enjoy!

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Under Pressure: Uber’s Navigation System Endangers the Public With Reckless Driving Directions

An Uber driver made an illegal u-turn and hit someone, but the in-app navigation told him to do it and the company won't give up the code.

October 6, 2025

As Portland Fights ICE With Land-Use Regulations, Will Zoning Survive Trump?

Portland's attempt to rein in ICE could trigger a battle over the constitutionality of zoning.

October 6, 2025

Monday’s Headlines Get Schooled

A shortage of bus drivers has left some school districts and parents struggling to get their kids to class.

October 6, 2025

Why Trump’s Latest Attack on Chicagoland Transportation Won’t Succeed

The USDOT announced it is blocking $2.1 million in previously approved federal funding for the Red Line Extension and the Red & Purple Modernization Project. But Streetsblog CHI doesn't think that will be the end of the story.

October 3, 2025

Week Without Driving: How Transit Can Serve People in Rural Towns

How do rural residents get to school, work, medical appointments, and other places they need to be?

October 3, 2025
See all posts