Many empty meters exist on weekdays at peak times with cars parked solidly beyond meters as far out as 20th Avenue to the south and Jefferson Street to the west. The centrally located big parking garages ought to be more peripheral to allow people to walk a few blocks past shops and cafes to reach the city core. Downtown Eugene contains few memorable buildings architecturally. The parking structure at the Park Blocks is an eyesore and should be torn down. The Greyhound bus station is ugly, small and inhospitable, and the train station is not much better.
Government buildings leave much to be desired.
City Hall and the Lane County Public Service Building are fortress-like structures with massive, blank walls at street level. Vertical bars on the windows add to the sense of hostility. Big rocky walls make for a defended castle feel at the courthouse. Sterile plazas removed from the street add to the bleak atmosphere. The corners of the downtown have been revitalized at the expense of the core, and so everything seems poorly linked.