I'm in the eighth largest city in Australia (similar car-oriented like the USA, public transport is poor unless that's your #1 priority in housing). It's absolutely ridiculous that there can be large surface lots of parking right in the centre of town.
For an example of how stark it is in Houston: https://goo.gl/maps/DZmmyzuMczBzas967 -- that's a surface parking lot (not even a garage!) surrounded by >30-story buildings, and kitty-corner to the second-tallest building in the state.
I can't think of anywhere else I've seen such a thing. Ridiculous is an understatement.
