This year's parking crater tournament has us feeling something past contests never did: Hopeful.
We asked readers for the best examples of surface parking lots turned dynamic urban places around the country. We got a great response, with some really exciting transformations.
We had to eliminate a few contestants to whittle it down to the Sweet 16. Here's what our tournament will look like:
We're going to start paring off these cities, from the top left, one each day. Kansas City will take on Minneapolis tomorrow.
Then Oakland vs. Atlanta Monday, Houston v. Boston Tuesday, Pittsburgh v. Portland Wednesday and so on. The contestants span the country, but also include two separate spaces in D.C., the NoMa neighborhood pictured above.
Thanks to everyone who send us entries. This is going to be very cool. Stay tuned for the competition, it all comes down to who gets the most votes.