Plenty of Parking to Be Found on the Biggest Shopping Day of the Year

Strong Towns completes another year of its critique of parking policies, brought to retail districts all over the country on the biggest shopping day of the year: Black Friday.

1 minute read

December 1, 2015, 7:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


jersey-city-parking-lot-3

dandeluca / Flickr

By now, the #BlackFridayParking event is just as big—if not bigger—for parking policy observers as the actual day itself. The idea behind this exercise in social media-enabled, crowdscourced satire: that even on the busiest shopping day of the year, parking is too plentiful to fill any rational role in our communities.

Rachel Quednau provides the post that provides the highlights from this year's #BlackFridayParking event, which might be one of the best ways to work up the heart rate necessary to burn off some of the indulgences of the Thanksgiving Holiday. Quednau's survey of the #BlackFridayParking "highlights" features examples from every region and every typology.

Strong Towns provided a lot more coverage about parking policies leading up to the event on Friday, including a crowdsourced map of the local governments that have managed to roll back parking requirements in some, or all, of their community.

Monday, November 30, 2015 in Strong Towns

Young Professional

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

September 23, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

Passengers board an Amtrak train under a cloudy sky.

Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement

The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.

September 18, 2026 - Mass Transit

An Airo train driving towards the camera on a track. There is a forest behind it.

Northwest rail fans eager for Sept. 30 debut of Amtrak’s Airo fleet

Get ready for that new train smell and more seats. But they won’t go faster or run more frequently on the Cascades route in Washington and Oregon.

September 22, 2026 - Washington State Standard

Four cars of the LAX SkyLink. They are white, and there is no clear front or back. They have black windows.

LAX SkyLink opening delayed again, contractor won’t commit to new deadline

The project was supposed to open its doors to the public in 2023.

5 seconds ago - LA Times

A Caltrain train picks up a large crowd of people at a station.

Caltrain may slash over one-third of its stations

If Bay Area voters reject two transit tax measures, Caltrain, BART and AC Transit will see steep service cuts.

1 hour ago - Mercury News

An aerial view of Interstate 77 crossing a body of water.

A 'dangerous' precedent: North Carolina successfully pressures communities into voting for toll roads

Two mayors resigned from the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization after it voted in favor of the toll roads.

2 hours ago - Spectrum Local News

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.

Senior Planner

City of Thousand Oaks

Community Development Director

City of Wisconsin Rapids

Professor of Urban Planning

Harvard University Graduate School of Design