Friday Funny: How Much Parking Does That Parking Spot Need?

The Onion takes parking requirements to their logical conclusion.

1 minute read

May 5, 2023, 7:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Vast, empty parking lot with blue sky and bright sun in background

PhilipYb Studio / Empty parking lot

Satire publication The Onion takes aim at America’s often ridiculous parking requirements by imagining a new zoning law in famously car-centric Houston that requires ten parking spots for every new parking spot.

The fake article includes a fake quote from the Houston mayor: “For too long we’ve stood by and watched as historic parts of our beautiful city stood in the way of more and more parking spaces.”

The fictional zoning amendment highlights an all-too real problem: the vast amounts of prime urban real estate in U.S. cities dedicated to car parking. Houston is estimated to have as many as 30 parking spots per resident.

Wednesday, May 3, 2023 in The Onion

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