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

Friday Video: Reining in the Sprawl

Some cities are shifting toward eco-friendly housing. Here are some lessons.

June 6, 2025

Friday’s Headlines Reinvent a Worse Wheel

Because they spend so much time driving without passengers, Uber's Routeshare shuttles won't be much better for traffic or air quality than private cars.

June 6, 2025

Talking Headways Podcast: Keys to San Francisco’s Future

Sujata Srivastava, Chief Policy Officer at SPUR, on an "urbanist decision-making framework for San Francisco’s new mayor."

June 5, 2025

‘War on Cyclists’: NYC E-Bike Speed Limit Panned by Safety Advocates

"Sounds like more flavor-of-the-month hot air," said one activist.

June 5, 2025

Thursday’s Headlines Build It, and They Will Come

Believe it or not, people are more likely to bike when they feel safe. Science proves it.

June 5, 2025
See all posts