Erin WhalenAug 25, 2023

A newly released collection of maps show how much land in US cities is used as parking lots.

According to The Parking Reform Network, Wichita KS is 35% parking lot while Las Vegas, NV is 32% and San Bernadino, CA is a brain-melting 49% parking lot.

Imagine the possibilities if people decided to take back most of that land from empty parked cars and use it for housing and green space instead? 🌳 🚶‍♀️ 🚴 👨‍👩‍👦 🌲

https://thehill.com/changing-america/resilience/smart-cities/4162455-paved-paradise-maps-show-how-much-of-us-cities-are-parking-lots/

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#urbanism #sustainability #green #cities #environment

Paved paradise: Maps show how much of US cities are parking lots

Nearly one-third of downtown Salt Lake City is dedicated solely to car parking, according to data released by a nonprofit last week. And Salt Lake is far from alone. In Wichita, it’s 35%. In Las Vegas, it’s 32%. In San Bernardino, it’s even worse: 49% of the central city is composed of parking.

The Hill
Show threadTeal AmoreAug 25, 2023
@erinwhalen the world is seeing more and more floods due to climate change. just imagine what the impact would be if we could shrink all these parking lots just a tiny amount each
Show threadNazani
@theelectricteal @erinwhalen Some of the flooding is because of the pavement. Switching to water-permeable pavement can make a huge difference.
https://www.loe.org/shows/segments.html?programID=05-P13-00023&segmentID=3
Living on Earth: Water Permeable Concrete

Mexico City gets almost 30 inches of rain each year, but most of it runs out to the ocean through extensive drainage systems. During the summer rains, the streets flood and the aquifers are not refilling fast enough to keep the water supply at a constant level. A group of entrepreneurs believe they have a solution to the city’s water problems with a material called “Ecocreto.” Conrad Fox reports.

Living on Earth
Aug 26, 2023 at 9:40pmWeb