Henry Grabar

Well, those are the rules almost everywhere. Now, places like New York and Chicago have decided that they are sufficiently dense that it doesn't make sense to require somebody opening a new restaurant to provide two dozen parking spaces. But that remains the law in most American cities and suburbs.

Well, those are the rules almost everywhere. Now, places like New York and Chicago have decided that they are sufficiently dense that it doesn't make sense to require somebody opening a new restaurant to provide two dozen parking spaces. But that remains the law in most American cities and suburbs.

Well, those are the rules almost everywhere. Now, places like New York and Chicago have decided that they are sufficiently dense that it doesn't make sense to require somebody opening a new restaurant to provide two dozen parking spaces. But that remains the law in most American cities and suburbs.

And so when you think about the American architectural vernacular, you're driving down a six-lane road. You've got these sort of –

And so when you think about the American architectural vernacular, you're driving down a six-lane road. You've got these sort of –

And so when you think about the American architectural vernacular, you're driving down a six-lane road. You've got these sort of –

uh stores and restaurants and retail set behind parking lots on on each side of the road that style of architecture is really the architecture of parking requirements because if you're required to build that much parking that's just what the architecture ends up looking like it's like the built american form follows from the requirement of providing parking and that's how we get what the country looks like today

uh stores and restaurants and retail set behind parking lots on on each side of the road that style of architecture is really the architecture of parking requirements because if you're required to build that much parking that's just what the architecture ends up looking like it's like the built american form follows from the requirement of providing parking and that's how we get what the country looks like today

uh stores and restaurants and retail set behind parking lots on on each side of the road that style of architecture is really the architecture of parking requirements because if you're required to build that much parking that's just what the architecture ends up looking like it's like the built american form follows from the requirement of providing parking and that's how we get what the country looks like today

Yeah, with a lot of strip malls where the front of it is, it's like an L shape and the front of it is all parking. Exactly. And it's really ugly.

Yeah, with a lot of strip malls where the front of it is, it's like an L shape and the front of it is all parking. Exactly. And it's really ugly.

Yeah, with a lot of strip malls where the front of it is, it's like an L shape and the front of it is all parking. Exactly. And it's really ugly.

Yeah, you know, I find it personally not my favorite type of architecture. And what's funny is I think a lot of Americans share this sense that we don't build things the way we used to, that there's this kind of sense that like both for residential and commercial architecture, that there was this golden era in American history where we built things we liked and we stopped doing that.

Yeah, you know, I find it personally not my favorite type of architecture. And what's funny is I think a lot of Americans share this sense that we don't build things the way we used to, that there's this kind of sense that like both for residential and commercial architecture, that there was this golden era in American history where we built things we liked and we stopped doing that.

Yeah, you know, I find it personally not my favorite type of architecture. And what's funny is I think a lot of Americans share this sense that we don't build things the way we used to, that there's this kind of sense that like both for residential and commercial architecture, that there was this golden era in American history where we built things we liked and we stopped doing that.

And I would suggest to you that one of the main reasons we stopped doing that was that we imposed the obligation to provide parking. And providing parking just creates unattractive buildings. It creates buildings that are separated from the street by a huge parking lot. It makes it basically impossible

And I would suggest to you that one of the main reasons we stopped doing that was that we imposed the obligation to provide parking. And providing parking just creates unattractive buildings. It creates buildings that are separated from the street by a huge parking lot. It makes it basically impossible

And I would suggest to you that one of the main reasons we stopped doing that was that we imposed the obligation to provide parking. And providing parking just creates unattractive buildings. It creates buildings that are separated from the street by a huge parking lot. It makes it basically impossible

to renovate any historic structures because you have to provide a certain number of parking spaces. So you basically have to demolish the building next door. And if you've looked at like a new office building or condo tower in an American downtown, look at the bottom like six to eight floors. I almost guarantee you they are used for parking.

to renovate any historic structures because you have to provide a certain number of parking spaces. So you basically have to demolish the building next door. And if you've looked at like a new office building or condo tower in an American downtown, look at the bottom like six to eight floors. I almost guarantee you they are used for parking.