Modern urbanism starts with parking

I have been fascinated that no one ever hires a starchitect to design a parking garage as it is obvious that modern urbanism starts with parking:

"One of the stars of the downtown regeneration is, of all things, the New Street Parking Garage. The design for the garage, by Staunton-based Frazier Associates, came out of an inclusive team approach: the designers worked closely with government officials and local citizens (in a city known for its resistance to change) through an intensive public design process.

The result is a new landmark building at the entrance to downtown Staunton. In the past, architects designed beautiful buildings for visitors to arrive in, says design lead Kathy Frazier, AIA. Somehow that didn't get translated to parking garages, and people grew accustomed to parking in these ugly utilitarian buildings. The question we asked ourselves is "Why can't we make a parking garage beautiful and celebrate the arrival sequence like we used to with train stations?"

Indeed, why not?