The Largest Parking Lots in the World

Parking lots and garages are a common sight today. The most common are parking lots and spaces for automobiles. Motorcycles and bicycles often have designated parking in automobile parking lots as well. RVs and mobile homes have their own parking lots separate from automobiles. Parking facilities are often built where offices, restaurants, malls, amusement parks, hotels, hospitals, and schools are situated.

The World's Largest Parking Lots

The parking lot of the West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, holds the world record for the largest parking lot in the world. The lot, which can accomodate an estimated 20,000 vehicles, serves the West Edmonton Mall, which is the largest mall in Canada. The parking lot was opened in 1981.

The airport at Seattle's Sea-Tac Airport is the world's second largest, with around 13,000 spaces available. The parking spaces are all located in a parking garage, which makes the parking garage the largest of its kind in North America.

Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport's McNamara Terminal is home to the world's third largest parking lot, which room for around 11,500 cars. The parking area also includes charging stations for electric cars.

The fourth largest parking lot in the world can be found in Disney World. The Disney World, Magic Kingdom, and Epcot Lots together have a 11,000 car capacity. Parking lots are named after Disney characters.

The South Facility at Universal Studios, combined with the North Facility, makes up one of the world's largest collections of parking spaces.

Environmental Damage of Parking Lots

Although parking lots are a large part of daily life, there are environmental concerns that come with the existence of parking lots. Parking lots are prone to leaks from vehicles, which includes things like gasoline and PAHs. Parking lots are also heat islands, because of the dark color of the pavement that attracts sun.