Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In

The Parking Madness competition has never been fiercer. In yesterday's match-up, Parkersburg, West Virginia, edged Boston by a slim 12 votes, and before that, Amarillo beat out Nashville by just six votes. Your ballot counts.

We have two doozies to feast your eyes on today. The Detroit waterfront is taking on the Bay Area suburb of Walnut Creek, California.

Detroit

detroit_crater
false

Submitter Luke Klipp describes this crater as "a swath of surface parking lining the city's waterfront just east of the Renaissance Center," a cluster of office towers that serve as General Motors HQ.

Klipp says:

Detroit's waterfront is really sad when compared to its Canadian neighbor across the river, Windsor, whose waterfront is 3 miles of uninterrupted parkway. By comparison, Detroit has a couple parks near the Renaissance Center and then lots of parking right up to the waterfront.

For all the wealth generated by GM, its corporate surroundings look incredibly barren. Another view:

ren_crater
false

Now let's check out the competition.

Walnut Creek, California

walnut_creek_straight
false

This entry comes to us via commenter Claire B, who says:

Walnut Creek, California, is located only 35 minutes from downtown San Francisco by BART (metro). I live in Walnut Creek because my home is 1.5 miles from the BART station but also 0.3 miles from a trailhead accessing 500 miles of dirt trails around Mt. Diablo. Off the photo to the right is the Iron Horse Trail, a 35 mile-long paved separated class I bike/ped facility running north/south. As you can see from the photo, to access the BART station (bottom/left quartile of photo) from the trail (0.7 miles away) one has to pass by or through parking lot after parking lot on a busy road or sidewalk. The city of Walnut Creek could have a bustling people-filled downtown but instead allocates much space to car storage.

This is the second year in a row the area surrounding a BART station has been featured in Parking Madness. Last year, El Cerrito, about 12 miles west, made it to the Elite 8 on much the same argument.

Here's another view of Walnut Creek:

walnut_creek_labeled
false

The only question remaining is which landscape represents a more criminal waste of potential? Vote below.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Civic Panel Dings Adams For Cutting Bike and Bus Lanes Out of Fifth Av. Redesign

Mayor Adams's scaled down redesign of Fifth Avenue isn't a "real solution" to safety issued on the packed retail corridor.

July 14, 2025

Monday’s Headlines: E-Bike Regulations Edition

Monday is a big day for the future of e-bikes in the Big Apple. Plus more news.

July 14, 2025

‘Preventable’: Hit-and-Run Driver Kills Two on Third Av. Corridor Eric Adams Refuses to Make Safer

A motorist struck and killed two men on a strip where Mayor Adams recently shelved a safety redesign amid a backlash from local business interests.

July 11, 2025

Why No BRT For NYC? Two New Reports Tackle Why Your Bus Service Sucks

Years of bus priority projects barely made a dent in speeds because Big Apple leaders won't install real bus rapid transit, two recent reports argue.

July 11, 2025

Citi Bike Riders Are Pissed About Eric Adams’s 15 MPH Speed Limit

Citi Bike's new 15 mph max speed limit is a bad deal for riders and a potential threat to safety, riders said.

July 11, 2025
See all posts