Minimum parking standards impact built form, travel behaviour, housing affordability, and stormwater capacity. As mobility by private automobile became ubiquitous in Toronto and many other major cities, the need to provide ample and adequate parking space became a paramount planning consideration. An article published on July 7, 1948, in the Globe and Mail focused on the increase in traffic to downtown Toronto from the suburbs. The newspaper reported that over 105,000 automobiles were headed to downtown where the parking lots could only hold 16,500 vehicles. The news item described the congestion in downtown Toronto as “Suffering Acres.”