If you want to build a strong town, get rid of your parking minimums. Any chaos that ensues will be healthier for your city than the acres of unproductive, wasted space we have justified with a veneer of professional expertise. The results of our #BlackFridayParking event.

The blackest thing this Friday will be the acres of wasted asphalt. Help us document the ridiculousness of minimum parking standards by tweeting your Black Friday parking lot pic along with the city/state and the hashtag #BlackFridayParking.

For years, American cities have required businesses to provide an amount of parking based on the anticipated peak demand. That peak demand is commonly believed to be "Black Friday", the day after Thanksgiving. Cities seemingly disregard any notion that businesses may not find it in their interests to devote valuable space and limited resources to providing parking spots that will only be used once or twice a year (or never). Ostensibly the greater apostasy -- from a regulatory standpoint -- would be for a driver to show up in their automobile this Friday and not be able to quickly find a place to park. To avoid that horror, we will set aside all of our "pro-businesses" inklings and roll out the red tape of parking minimums. Fortunately, many cities have repealed minimum parking requirements. Many more are considering taking such a step. Let's give them a push by helping them see the folly of their ways.