Parking Madness Championship: Denver vs. Poughkeepsie

For the last few weeks we’ve been getting to know 16 sorry parking craters right next to transit stations. From Connecticut to Arkansas to California, so many opportunities for walkable places are squandered in America.

But now just two cities remain, and it’s time to crown the Parking Madness champion. Your votes will determine the winner — the polls are open until Monday at 2 p.m. Eastern Time.

Readers have delivered a David vs. Goliath match-up in the final, with Poughkeepsie taking on Denver for the rights to the Golden Crater and — we hope — a blistering round of local press coverage calling attention to the shame of parking blight.

Poughkeepsie

In a classic case of a small scrapper with a dedicated hometown crowd pressing for change, Poughkeepsie has made it all the way to the final.

This parking-saturated Metro North commuter rail station beat craters in Fairfield, New York City, and greater Boston in earlier rounds of competition.

Reader Jay Arzu says Poughkeepsie’s station area is emblematic of an entire downtown scarred by too much surface parking. He’s hoping to generate some momentum for this redevelopment plan around the station:

Denver — Pepsi Center/Mile High Stadium/West Auraria

This appalling grey moonscape clobbered craters in St. Louis, Pleasanton, and Atlanta in earlier rounds of competition. Not only does this mammoth encompass three light rail stations built at huge public expense, squandering the opportunity for walkable housing and retail, it’s also right next to Denver’s downtown.

When center city transit stations are surrounded by unwalkable oceans of asphalt, it’s no wonder that car commuting is on the rise despite Denver’s recent investments in light rail. Transit isn’t the focus here — big sports venues are. And as Streetsblog Denver Editor David Sachs points out, most days of the year these lots by the Pepsi Center and Mile High Stadium are mostly empty.

Vote below to bestow the Golden Crater and the eternal shame of winning this competition.