It's long been a mystery to me why there seems to be about zero interest in making better
parking lots. They can be more aesthetically pleasing, safer for pedestrians (yes they're for cars but we all have to walk through them too), and adaptable for dual uses during low traffic periods. Obviously not everybody will be on my board with my "close them all down" agenda, but they don't have to be the hideous life suckers that they generally are.
