Mexico City Mayor Miguel Mancera is pursuing a sweeping overhaul of the city's parking policy that's expected to do away with minimum parking requirements and generate revenue for transit and affordable housing. If enacted, the reforms could set an important precedent for cities in North and South America.

To solve the "first and last mile problem," there's no substitute for walkability.

Denver's monster parking crater is a classic of wasted urban potential: a huge swathe of land close to downtown, served by three light rail stations, and overwhelmed by massive parking lots for sports stadiums that barely get used much of the year.

There are no functional, real-world examples of a Hyperloop, Tesla founder Elon Musk's long-distance transport concept that involves shooting people through vacuum-sealed tubes in pods that travel at up to 760 mph. And yet a surprising number of government agencies are treating the Hyperloop as a serious proposition.

Readers have delivered a David vs. Goliath match-up in the final, with Poughkeepsie taking on Denver for the rights to the Golden Crater and — we hope — a blistering round of local press coverage calling attention to the shame of parking blight.

Seattle's massive downtown highway tunnel, originally slated at $3.1 billion, is now expected to cost at least $4 billion when all is said and done. Who's going to pay?

America's traffic safety establishment has long been focused on "behavioral" explanations for traffic deaths — things like seat belt usage and drunk driving. By ignoring the role of the high-speed, car-centric transportation systems they've created, they don't have to face their own culpability.

Cat calls, patronizing enjoinders to "smile," and more aggressive forms of harassment can make walking or biking uncomfortable or threatening. Katie Matchett, an urban planner who writes about pedestrian issues at Where the Sidewalk Starts, says it's up to everyone — men and women — to combat it.

This semi-final pits central areas in two major American cities against each other. Only one will have a shot at everlasting shame in the championship match.

When a heavily-traveled section of Atlanta's I-85 collapsed in a fire last week, the traffic predictions were dire. But the highway disruption appears to be another case of "carmaggedon" that never materialized — and that should inform the way we plan our transportation systems.

Denver will make it to the final four if voters decide this terrible parking crater next to downtown is worse than its opponent in St. Louis.