Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In

We're continuing with our hunt for Most Improved Parking Crater today, slowly but surely narrowing down a list of 16 candidates to find the urban parking lot that has become a beloved cityscape rather than a cement crater filled with cars.

Today's matchup is a little different because it features two central civic spaces that were once nothing but asphalt.

Before we get to it though, voting is still open for yesterday's competition pitting Houston vs. Boston (Minnesota and Oakland have already moved onto the second round).

parking madness 2019

Now on to today's competition:

Portland

P-town's Pioneer Courtyard Square was formerly a low-rise parking deck.

Reader Jay Shuffield, who submitted the below photos, said, "There's probably nothing that challenges Portland's Pioneer Courthouse Square emerging from the site of a full-block parking deck to become the city's central civic space."

portland before
portland after

Pioneer Courtyard Square calls itself "Portland's living room" and the city's "most visited park." The square hosts 300 programmed events per year, according to the nonprofit group that oversees the space.

Pittsburgh

A similar conversion has taken place in Steel City's famous Schenley Plaza.

pittsburgh after
Photo: John Altdorfer, Schenley Plaza story time

Reader Laura Ellis nominated this space, saying:

The five-acre plaza is located on what was a large, 280-space parking lot in Oakland and situated between the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, Phipps Conservatory, and the Carnegie Museums and Library. The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, in partnership with the City of Pittsburgh, transformed the space, and today this much-loved community greenspace attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors every year, providing gathering places, entertainment, and a grand entrance to Schenley Park.

In addition to a one-acre green space, the park contains dining kiosks, a carousel, public restrooms and a full-service restaurant. In other words, it's a big improvement over a parking lot.

But can it top Pioneer Courthouse Square? Let us know which deserves to go on to the second round. Vote now!

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Is Sec. Duffy Holding NY Transit Hostage To Negotiate Away The Rest of America’s Transportation Future?

The federal Transportation secretary is using two large transit projects as a bargaining chip to bully Congress into passing a budget that could be disastrous for communities across the country.

October 3, 2025

Friday’s Headlines Shut It Down

The government shutdown looks like it will be just another excuse for the Trump administration to cancel transportation projects unless blue states bend the knee.

October 3, 2025

Can Pedestrian Pop-Ups Go Permanent in the U.S.?

Can temporary pedestrian pop-ups spur permanent change?

October 3, 2025

Talking Headways Podcast: Healthy Architecture, Healthy People

It is very unusual for an architecture project to pay any attention at all outside of the property line. And that has to change.

October 2, 2025

Report: A Third of Americans Can’t Rely On Cars — And 16 Million Have No Access At All

So why do we plan our cities like everyone can and does get behind the wheel every day?

October 2, 2025
See all posts