Peter Brown For Houston Mayor

[crunchtastic]

I'm just not sure what to make of this. George Clinton endorsing Peter Brown for Mayor. Did they used to drop a lot of acid together in the 70s, or something?

I almost went to the P-Funk show last night, too. How very odd.

http://blogs.chron.com/houstonpolitics/200...dores_plan.html

[Porchman]

I'm just not sure what to make of this. George Clinton endorsing Peter Brown for Mayor. Did they used to drop a lot of acid together in the 70s, or something?

http://blogs.chron.com/houstonpolitics/200...dores_plan.html

Maybe Clinton is consulting him. Most of all, Brown needs the Funk. He'll help him find the funk.

[Fringe]

Maybe George Clinton will run. We could change Houston's name to Funky Town.

[Porchman]

Maybe George Clinton will run. We could change Houston's name to Funky Town.

Or P-Brown (as I'm now going to refer to him), can follow in Ray Nagin's footsteps and Call us "CC".

[crunchtastic]

Or P-Brown (as I'm now going to refer to him), can follow in Ray Nagin's footsteps and Call us "CC".

P-Brown, heh. You beat me to it!

If George Clinton find the funk in P-Brown, then His Funkiness really is supernatural.

[Gooch]

If George Clinton find the funk in P-Brown, then His Funkiness really is supernatural.

Man, I was scared he was going sing...

[rsb320]

So, does this lock in the black vote for P-Brown?

I'm still leaning toward A-Parker.

[HtownWxBoy]

So we would go from Brown to White and back to Brown.

[citykid09]

I would have to agree with what Peter Brown said, the creative class is not coming to Houston. I would also add that the creative class that Houston creates are lured away by other cities such as NYC, LA, Atlanta, Chicago, Austin, Dallas, etc.

The city is growing but take a look at this:

Quote

More than 75 percent under 30 are not, the biggest group being Latino and largely poor.

Seven out of 10 freshmen in the Houston Independent School District don't graduate from high school. Whether the cause is bad schools, culture or both, that is a matter for grave concern.

That is a sad statistic.

What will the city be like when those under 30 grow up and become the leaders? Will Houston be a big slum?

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/6982670.html

[Trae]

I like how you didn't post the good news part of the article, or even mention it. It's not doom and gloom here in Houston.

[LTAWACS]

I would have to agree with what Peter Brown said, the creative class is not coming to Houston. I would also add that the creative class that Houston creates are lured away by other cities such as NYC, LA, Atlanta, Chicago, Austin, Dallas, etc.

The city is growing but take a look at this:

That is a sad statistic.

What will the city be like when those under 30 grow up and become the leaders? Will Houston be a big slum?

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/6982670.html

We should start building more jails now. Those under 30 you speak of will not grow to be leaders... What other cities are presently in the state that Houston may be if there is no more creative class?

[citykid09]

We should start building more jails now. Those under 30 you speak of will not grow to be leaders... What other cities are presently in the state that Houston may be if there is no more creative class?

If I read your question correctly, I would say Detroit could be seen as one.

Trae, I read the good parts as well, but the part about Houston's under 30 group leaves no hope no matter how great the positive part of the story is.

As for the creative class coming to Houston, there is really no place for them to go. Yeah there is midtown, downtown and a few other areas, but you won't get the urban experience you do in other cities. I like Mayor Parker, but I think Peter Brown would have done a better job as far as giving Houston a true urban core.

[TheNiche]

I would have to agree with what Peter Brown said, the creative class is not coming to Houston. I would also add that the creative class that Houston creates are lured away by other cities such as NYC, LA, Atlanta, Chicago, Austin, Dallas, etc.

The city is growing but take a look at this:

That is a sad statistic.

What will the city be like when those under 30 grow up and become the leaders? Will Houston be a big slum?

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/6982670.html

Four million dollars of his wife's family's money couldn't buy Peter Brown relevancy. It mystifies me that anybody would quote him in a Chronicle article.

Anyhow...check out this data set breaking down Richard Florida's Creative Class by county. As of the previous Census, 28.2% of employment in Harris County was considered to be "Creative". (And if you didn't know, Florida's use of the word "class" actually is defined by occupational category rather than demographic or socioeconomic metrics.)

It didn't surprise me much that New York County had the highest percentage of creative jobs, at 47.9%; it did surprise me that 45.7% of Collin County's employment were creative jobs. Collin County actually ranked 3rd in the country by this measure, well ahead of places like San Francisco County (CA), Fulton County (GA), or Travis County (TX)...and is miles ahead of Los Angeles County (CA) or Cook County (IL).

But then...Los Angeles County (27.5%), Cook County (27.5%), and Dallas County (28.0%) get beat out by the likes of Houston's suburban counties, Fort Bend County (34.9%) and Montgomery County (28.3%). Conroe is apparently more attractive to creative employers than is Los Angeles. Harris County (28.2%) is too, of course.

You should have cited the Washington DC area on your list of places that are supposedly stealing away our creative jobs. Arlington County, VA (47.5%), Howard County, MD (44.9%), Fairfax County, VA (44.8%), and Montgomery County, MD (43.8%) rank 2nd, 4th, 6th, 7th in terms of the percentage of creative jobs out of all the counties in the United States. You also should've added Phoenix, San Jose, and Seattle to your list, by the way. Maricopa County added 149,501 creative jobs, Santa Clara County added 92,174 creative jobs, and King County added 87,857 creative jobs; Harris County only added 69,925 creative jobs, about on par with Collin County (+68,337) and Travis County (+65,678), but well above the number added by Fulton County (+52,273), Dallas County (+46,824), New York County (+41,561), or Los Angeles County (+39,960).

But I guess since there aren't any national television networks headquartered in places like Washington DC, Phoenix, San Jose, or Seattle, and since MTV Cribs doesn't feature palatial homes of celebrities living in Collin County, you wouldn't have thought to mention them in your jealous rant.

[Jeebus]

Citykid, what's not factored is how many of those kids transfer out of HISD. The stat they show is one of convienence for the story, to make it seem more doom and gloom. Also, not factored are the number of college graduates from other regions like LSU, ULL, Old Miss, Miss State, UT, A&M, OSU, and OU, that relocate here for jobs.

[KinkaidAlum]

The HISD stat is a scary one. That said, the graduation rates are about on par with an big city public school system.

The truth of the matter is that HISD is shrinking. It's becoming a district with several solid schools (HSPVA, Bellaire, Lamar, Carnegie Vanguard, Health Professions, etc...) a couple of mediocre one, and quite a few terrible ones. That said, the youth in this region aren't attending HISD by in-large. They're in Ft Bend, Kingwood, Pearland, Clear Lake, Spring Branch, Katy, League City, etc...

[AtticaFlinch]

The HISD stat is a scary one. That said, the graduation rates are about on par with an big city public school system.

It's pretty close to the national average - 7 in 10 vs 8 in 10 - and that includes all the suburban and rural school districts as well.

This is six years out of date, but I imagine things haven't changed too much. Oakland (part of the San Francisco metro) has the worst drop-out rate in the US. And to make Coaster happy, Dallas is in the top 10 worst drop-out rates in the country. Houston didn't make either ten best or ten worst.

Correction: Oakland isn't the worst, it's the tenth worst. Detroit is the worst. One in four students graduates high school in Detroit.

[VicMan]

Other districts are growing since the population of Houston, particularly families, is spreading out. Also HISD is shrinking because of gentrification. It is a natural development.

The HISD stat is a scary one. That said, the graduation rates are about on par with an big city public school system.

The truth of the matter is that HISD is shrinking. It's becoming a district with several solid schools (HSPVA, Bellaire, Lamar, Carnegie Vanguard, Health Professions, etc...) a couple of mediocre one, and quite a few terrible ones. That said, the youth in this region aren't attending HISD by in-large. They're in Ft Bend, Kingwood, Pearland, Clear Lake, Spring Branch, Katy, League City, etc...

[citykid09]

What is truly mind boggling is that anyone would give ANY thread started by citykid the time of day. Read half an article, quote the negatives, ignore the positives, call the situation hopeless - there's a citykid thread for you. An idiotic waste of energy. Goodbye.

Yet you waste your time posting in it. I got you!

When I said that there is know where for the creative class to go, I meant as in urban, walkable, livable, and lively! areas. Houston has nothing like a Little 5 Points or a Glenwood Park or a Mockingbird Station. I know those are not extremely urban examples, but its what I like to call Southern Urban, especially Glenwood Park. I'm not saying Houston has to be developed like NYC, but their should be places were people can move to that have some since of a fully functional neighborhood. No matter what anyone says, I still say that Houston's inner loop should have a set standard for urban development, or there will never be a truly urban, walkable, livable, and lively! feel about the city. Having a rule where developers can build whatever doesn't mesh well and Houston is proof of it.

http://www.glenwoodpark.com/

[Highway6]

I would have to agree with what Peter Brown said, the creative class is not coming to Houston. I would also add that the creative class that Houston creates are lured away by other cities such as NYC, LA, Atlanta, Chicago, Austin, Dallas, etc.

Houston has nothing like a Little 5 Points or a Glenwood Park

[TheNiche]

When I said that there is know where for the creative class to go, I meant as in urban, walkable, livable, and lively! areas. Houston has nothing like a Little 5 Points or a Glenwood Park or a Mockingbird Station. I know those are not extremely urban examples, but its what I like to call Southern Urban, especially Glenwood Park. I'm not saying Houston has to be developed like NYC, but their should be places were people can move to that have some since of a fully functional neighborhood. No matter what anyone says, I still say that Houston's inner loop should have a set standard for urban development, or there will never be a truly urban, walkable, livable, and lively! feel about the city. Having a rule where developers can build whatever doesn't mesh well and Houston is proof of it.

http://www.glenwoodpark.com/

The problem with what you think that you're arguing is that it has nothing to do with Richard Florida's "Creative Class".

[citykid09]

LMAO!!!!!!

[RedScare]

I would have to agree with what Peter Brown said, the creative class is not coming to Houston. I would also add that the creative class that Houston creates are lured away by other cities such as NYC, LA, Atlanta, Chicago, Austin, Dallas, etc.

But, then Niche posted this...

Anyhow...check out this data set breaking down Richard Florida's Creative Class by county. As of the previous Census, 28.2% of employment in Harris County was considered to be "Creative". (And if you didn't know, Florida's use of the word "class" actually is defined by occupational category rather than demographic or socioeconomic metrics.)

It didn't surprise me much that New York County had the highest percentage of creative jobs, at 47.9%; it did surprise me that 45.7% of Collin County's employment were creative jobs. Collin County actually ranked 3rd in the country by this measure, well ahead of places like San Francisco County (CA), Fulton County (GA), or Travis County (TX)...and is miles ahead of Los Angeles County (CA) or Cook County (IL).

But then...Los Angeles County (27.5%), Cook County (27.5%), and Dallas County (28.0%) get beat out by the likes of Houston's suburban counties, Fort Bend County (34.9%) and Montgomery County (28.3%). Conroe is apparently more attractive to creative employers than is Los Angeles. Harris County (28.2%) is too, of course.

You should have cited the Washington DC area on your list of places that are supposedly stealing away our creative jobs. Arlington County, VA (47.5%), Howard County, MD (44.9%), Fairfax County, VA (44.8%), and Montgomery County, MD (43.8%) rank 2nd, 4th, 6th, 7th in terms of the percentage of creative jobs out of all the counties in the United States. You also should've added Phoenix, San Jose, and Seattle to your list, by the way. Maricopa County added 149,501 creative jobs, Santa Clara County added 92,174 creative jobs, and King County added 87,857 creative jobs; Harris County only added 69,925 creative jobs, about on par with Collin County (+68,337) and Travis County (+65,678), but well above the number added by Fulton County (+52,273), Dallas County (+46,824), New York County (+41,561), or Los Angeles County (+39,960).

Those statistics completely and utterly refuted your statement. Citykid, will you respond to the fact that your claim has been proven absolutely wrong? Can you?

[TheNiche]

Those statistics completely and utterly refuted your statement. Citykid, will you respond to the fact that your claim has been proven absolutely wrong? Can you?

[raises hand]

I can.

Richard Florida's methodology for qualifying and/or quantifying the "Creative Class" is flawed beyond even the slightest hope of redemption. Therefore the data that I presented lacks validity...and so does every editorial that references either the theory or the data as a premise.

[RedScare]

[raises hand]

I can.

Richard Florida's methodology for qualifying and/or quantifying the "Creative Class" is flawed beyond even the slightest hope of redemption. Therefore the data that I presented lacks validity...and so does every editorial that references either the theory or the data as a premise.

You forgot to mention that Richard Florida is last decade's news. No one (other than outdated bloggers) even listens to him anymore.

[Porchman]

[raises hand]

I can.

Richard Florida's methodology for qualifying and/or quantifying the "Creative Class" is flawed beyond even the slightest hope of redemption. Therefore the data that I presented lacks validity...and so does every editorial that references either the theory or the data as a premise.

HOWEVER, he has an interesting sociologic theory which follows with urban-planning-beuta-hoo-ha. OK. Christian Lander needs to add him to the list.

You forgot to mention that Richard Florida is last decade's news. No one (other than outdated bloggers) even listens to him anymore.

Oh, but they do. He is, in many circles, still deemed to be the urban futurist (or validator).

I personally am interested in his theories. However, I realize in his own declaration he is a classist. He fails to recognize the allocation of talents among our global population. You know, places that don't achieve the Florida model - Rio, Moscow, Bombay, Beijing - actually might achieve some level of level of success. So might Houston unless its citizens feel that the provincial portention of Austin is game changing.

[WAZ]

I would have to agree with what Peter Brown said, the creative class is not coming to Houston. I would also add that the creative class that Houston creates are lured away by other cities such as NYC, LA, Atlanta, Chicago, Austin, Dallas, etc.

The city is growing but take a look at this:

That is a sad statistic.

What will the city be like when those under 30 grow up and become the leaders? Will Houston be a big slum?

http://www.chron.com...ok/6982670.html

Nonsense. Houston will be just fine.

Why?

Because we have jobs, and an affordable cost of living.

This played into one of the first posts I made to my blog. Houston is a city in which a starving artist can still find a warehouse, and work on giant canvases while his neighbors fix truck transmissions. Artists can't afford to do that in New York (or Los Angeles) any more. We have a lot less red-tape than other cities, too (if you believe Tory Gattis). So if you're a small business, you're more likely to choose Houston.

We should not fear the statistics you pointed out - that 75% of Houstonians under 30 are minorities, and most of them are poor. It was like that in New York a century ago - (well, they were German, Italian, and Irish then; not Latino; but they were poor). The influx of immigrants did not cause New York to become a slum. Quite the opposite.

(They didn't keep drop out rates in schools a century ago)

Give them a generation or two, and you'll see. In the mean time, look at this Op-Ed in the Washington Post. Pay close attention to myth number '3'.

[TheNiche]

Houston is a city in which a starving artist can still find a warehouse, and work on giant canvases while his neighbors fix truck transmissions. Artists can't afford to do that in New York (or Los Angeles) any more.

Speaking of which, I've got studio space for rent in the East End. PM me if anybody is interested.

[LTAWACS]

It's pretty close to the national average - 7 in 10 vs 8 in 10 - and that includes all the suburban and rural school districts as well.

This is six years out of date, but I imagine things haven't changed too much. Oakland (part of the San Francisco metro) has the worst drop-out rate in the US. And to make Coaster happy, Dallas is in the top 10 worst drop-out rates in the country. Houston didn't make either ten best or ten worst.

Correction: Oakland isn't the worst, it's the tenth worst. Detroit is the worst. One in four students graduates high school in Detroit.

Imagine our society 10 - 20 years in the future. Now that truly is scary stuff. Ugh.

[jgriff]

<i>Urbanists like Brown believe Houston must attract young innovators who could live anywhere but prefer pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods with restaurants and coffee shops. “The creative class is not coming to Houston,” Brown says, and that worries him</i>

What exactly is this "creative class" he's talking about? Does he really mean people who create things? If so why do pedestrian friendly neighborhoods have anything to do with people who create things? I've spent the last 20 years creating things at work every day and I never once had a problem doing it outside of a pedestrian friendly neighborhood. Houston attracts plenty of people who create things. There are a lot of cities around the world I could live in and do the same work. I chose Houston 15 years ago because I can make more money and live cheaper here than anywhere else. Give me money over a pedestrian friendly neighborhood any day. I think most people in my business think the same way. I can't think of a time when I heard the guy next to me say "I'm going to move to 'insert city here' because of the pedestrian friendly neighborhoods". I have heard them discussing moving somewhere for more money though.

[LTAWACS]

<i>Urbanists like Brown believe Houston must attract young innovators who could live anywhere but prefer pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods with restaurants and coffee shops. “The creative class is not coming to Houston,” Brown says, and that worries him</i>

What exactly is this "creative class" he's talking about? Does he really mean people who create things? If so why do pedestrian friendly neighborhoods have anything to do with people who create things? I've spent the last 20 years creating things at work every day and I never once had a problem doing it outside of a pedestrian friendly neighborhood. Houston attracts plenty of people who create things. There are a lot of cities around the world I could live in and do the same work. I chose Houston 15 years ago because I can make more money and live cheaper here than anywhere else. Give me money over a pedestrian friendly neighborhood any day. I think most people in my business think the same way. I can't think of a time when I heard the guy next to me say "I'm going to move to 'insert city here' because of the pedestrian friendly neighborhoods". I have heard them discussing moving somewhere for more money though.

It's a kind of vibe a place gets that artists dig. Chill. Besides if there are cheap places to stay (warehouses/efficiencies and the like) starving artists can live there.