North Texas is a paving paradise for parking lots

Dallas, Arlington and Fort Worth devote a significant amount of their valuable real estate to parking spots, more than most U.S. cities, according to the Parking Reform Network.

Why it matters: The national organization says parking lots limit a city's potential.

• "Cities with high parking have ample land that could be devoted to building walkable neighborhoods, vibrant parks or office districts," the organization says.

By the numbers: Arlington — home of UT Arlington, the Dallas Cowboys and the Texas Rangers — devotes 42% of its central core to parking spots, more than any other city mapped by the Parking Reform Network.

• Downtown Dallas is 24% parking and downtown Fort Worth is 27% parking.

State of play: Similar to many other U.S. cities, Dallas, Fort Worth and Arlington require a certain number of parking spaces for different building types.

• Some developers demolished buildings and built parking lots in their place to meet those minimum parking requirements, per D Magazine.

Of note: The Parking Reform Network's maps show surface lots and above-ground structures. They don't account for street parking, underground parking or parking spaces that take up multiple floors of a building.