Self-driving cars will render these obsolete
They already are [1]:
> If you park your car on the lower level of the Millennium Lakeside Garage under Maggie Daley Park, you might feel like you've just pulled into a subterranean car dealership. > Rows of new and used Volkswagens and Hondas—nearly 400 in total—fill a lot of the space. You might spot a worker painting a Jetta with a spray gun. The level above has a more nautical feel, with dozens of empty boat trailers. > Yet the garage still isn't close to full, a problem for the international joint venture that paid $370 million in 2016 to lease it and three other city-owned garages under Millennium and Grant parks. With 9,176 spaces, the garages constitute the largest underground parking system in the country. At 3.8 million square feet, it's almost as big as Willis Tower. > It's actually too big, which is why Rick West, the executive who runs the garages, is exploring creative ways to fill excess space in Lakeside, the easternmost and largest garage, with 3,850 spaces. He'd like to convert part of it into warehouse space, even hiring a brokerage to market the property to logistics firms. But he hasn't landed any tenants yet. > "I'm really looking at anything and everything having to do with mobility—that could be mobility of people or mobility of things," says West, CEO of Millennium Garages. "How do I keep this asset relevant for the next many, many decades?"
[1] https://www.chicagobusiness.com/commercial-real-estate/prime...
Fortunately, many self-driving car companies are using alternative fuel vehicles (Cruise uses the Bolt, Tesla is obviously electric, Waymo has the i-Pace and Pacifica Hybrids), and things like inductive charging are also helpful for complete autonomy so the future of autonomous zombie cars may involve fewer tailpipe emissions at least :)
It seems less promising, now that I see the piles of scooters in downtowns.
On top of that people won't need to start and end at the same time with self driving cars, as you have the ability to sleep/read/do work during the commute.
Of course the increased traffic of homing cars might turn the roads into metaphorical parking spots...
As horrific as that idea sounds you just know that will be the reality until there is a law against it.
I'd just send it to the nearest Sears parking lot (and instruct it to attempt to find shade?)
Even if it was the point, stick a charger on every space and BAM! now you've got a reason to let your electric self-driving car park there instead of wasting battery driving all the way back home only to drive all the way back to you and home again later.