Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Parking Madness 2015

Parking Madness 2015 Elite Eight: Tampa vs. Fort Worth

It's almost a shame that these two titans are meeting in the second round of the Parking Madness tournament, because both Tampa and Fort Worth look like they have champion potential.

Yesterday, Syracuse knocked off Newport News, Virginia, to join Camden in the Final Four. Now it's up to you to decide who gets the third slot.

Tampa

original-9
false

This crater advanced past Waterville, Maine in round one. Submitter Joshua Redman wrote:

This area is adjacent to both the Tampa Bay Times Forum (where the Lightning play) and the middle of downtown. Aside from the sea of designated parking lots, the empty lots in the bottom left of the picture are used as overflow parking during games. There is almost NO lighting and sidewalks.

Outside the picture to the left is Harbour Island, an island with million dollar condos and a beautiful riverwalk. Outside the picture at the bottom is the Channelside district, a new district of mixed use condos and retail, very walkable. And to the top and right is the central business district. This crater separates the three areas and is a pedestrian wasteland.

Was it always a wasteland? Apparently not. Here's the same area of Tampa as it looked in 1969, before the highway, courtesy of Shane Hampton at the University of Oklahoma's Institute for Quality Communities:

jacksonville_before

Let's see how our next quarterfinalist measures up.

Fort Worth

get

Fort Worth topped Boise in the first round. The entry came from an anonymous source, who said:

Fort Worth, TX. Right next to downtown. Featuring not one, not two, but THREE 6-7 story parking garages spaning five city blocks. That would be fine, but there are another eight full blocks with surface parking lots (three of them are riverfront property) with an additional five blocks partially taken by surface parking. Oh, and there's on street parking as well. Overkill...

We have a historical image of this area as well. Thanks again, Shane!

streetsblog_fortworth1952

Unrecognizable.

Tell us which one earned a trip to the Final Four:

parking_madness_2015
false

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Data: New Yorkers Keep Biking In This Cold, Cold World

Even in the city's historic deep freeze, New Yorkers are getting around by bicycle, according to publicly available data.

February 11, 2026

The Real Problem in Central Park Isn’t Speed — It’s Scarcity

New York City has chronically underinvested in cycling infrastructure compared to its global peers.

February 11, 2026

More Troubles for Fly E-Bike: Feds Order Costly Moped Recall

Federal officials have ordered Fly E-Bike to recall all Fly 10 mopeds, the latest troubles for the micromobility company.

February 11, 2026

Safe Streets, Workers Rights, Crash Victims Targeted By Big Tech In Super Bowl Ads

Some Super Bowl commercials are ads. And some are warning shots.

February 10, 2026

Opinion: The City, Not Just Lyft, Deserves Blame for Citi Bike’s Winter Mess

The Mamdani administration should fine Lyft for falling short of its contractual obligations — and reward it for meeting or surpassing them.

February 10, 2026
See all posts