What would make our city 'better'?

[sevfiv]

^Hey now! It may be grungy over here, but it has *personality*

[Marksmu]

On the serious side, clean up the freeways. Especially 45 and 59 north coming in from Intercontinental. First impressions for people coming to our city are not good and probably a little scary. Take down the billboards, build walls or some type of screens for dilapidated areas and add more trees. Don't know what, if anything, can be done for people coming into Hobby short of nuking the whole southeast side of town.

If you forced cabbies to take new arrivals from Hobby down telephone instead of airport to 45 - it would not take much to make the area attractive. The area north of Hobby, though not a great place to live, has houses that are in very good condition still. That section has a tree lined median, and only a little trashy areas that would have to be spruced to make the exit from hobby not so ugly.

[TheNiche]

On the serious side, clean up the freeways. Especially 45 and 59 north coming in from Intercontinental. First impressions for people coming to our city are not good and probably a little scary.  Take down the billboards, build walls or some type of screens for dilapidated areas and add more trees.  Don't know what, if anything,  can be done for people coming into Hobby short of nuking the whole southeast side of town.  

Deport all our resident neat freaks to Dallas.

[sevfiv]

"The area north of Hobby, though not a great place to live..."

"Don't know what, if anything, can be done for people coming into Hobby short of nuking the whole southeast side of town."

Wow - nice, guys...

But yeah, I guess it's not the *greatest* place to live (unlike the Heights or Sugar Land, say)...

[kylejack]

If you forced cabbies to take new arrivals from Hobby down telephone instead of airport to 45 - it would not take much to make the area attractive. The area north of Hobby, though not a great place to live, has houses that are in very good condition still. That section has a tree lined median, and only a little trashy areas that would have to be spruced to make the exit from hobby not so ugly.

Nothing makes me want to come to a city quite like being banned from using a taxi on a major highway. That'll really boost the tourism industry.

[citykid09]

On the serious side, clean up the freeways. Especially 45 and 59 north coming in from Intercontinental. First impressions for people coming to our city are not good and probably a little scary.  Take down the billboards, build walls or some type of screens for dilapidated areas and add more trees.  Don't know what, if anything,  can be done for people coming into Hobby short of nuking the whole southeast side of town.  

I agree 100% with everything you said! The Hobby Airport Area looks like your in a 3rd World country.

[ricco67]

I agree 100% with everything you said! The Hobby Airport Area looks like your in a 3rd World country.

How many 3rd World countries have you been in?

Not to say it's not rough, but geez.

[sevfiv]

Yeah, I'm surprised I make it to work and back every day!

[Fringe]

I've heard even Chuck Norris avoids the area! 

[mkultra25]

[The SE side - Threat or Menace?]

Wow - nice, guys...

But yeah, I guess it's not the *greatest* place to live (unlike the Heights or Sugar Land, say)...

That's OK, such perceptions will keep the property values affordable for those of us who appreciate character. Once Metro has finished inflicting its toy train set on Fulton and the yuppies and hipsters begin to infect my formerly-placid neighborhood, I expect I'll eventually be forced to move to the SE side, assuming it's still the last relatively unspoiled frontier within any reasonable proximity of the loop. I'd far rather live in a semi-industrial area than one where I have to put up with clench-cheeked HOAs and people who daydream of recasting Houston in the mold of Northern California.

[kylejack]

Housing near the projected rail line up Fulton is ridiculously inexpensive right now. Tempts me.

[names]

Bring Back CITY UNDER SIEGE!

We need another war on something..

You know, like to unite us and stuff

[RedScare]

Presumably there are all sorts of arcane rules that are preventing street vendors from operating. Haute Texan Tacos had to shut down at Woodrow's because the Health Department was enforcing a rule that there can't be tables within 100 feet of a food trailer. Still, Houston's street food atmosphere is better than some cities. There's the Taqueria Tacambaro truck serving delicious sweetbread tacos behind Canino's, there's the Bansuri Indian Food Corner truck serving Indian food at Wilcrest and West Bellfort, there's Melange Creperie making crepes in front of Mango's, Tacos Tierra Caliente truck on Montrose.

The rules are not "arcane". They are recent. For all of its bragging on its variety and numbers, the Houston restaurant industry is terrified of street vendors, and used its muscle to vurtually eliminate street vending. The stated reasons for the opposition is "sanitary concerns", but it is a crock. They were afraid of competition from a hot dog vendor. Bunch of wimps.

How many 3rd World countries have you been in?

Not to say it's not rough, but geez.

He's been to Atlanta, so he probably knows what 3rd world looks like.

[TheNiche]

He's been to Atlanta, so he probably knows what 3rd world looks like.

oh snap!

[new major on the block]

I like the idea of a monument of some kind. Perhaps we can steal Huntsville's giant MC 900 Foot Sam Houston.

They've already got their monument... the penitentiary.

900ft statue? Last time i saw it, it was more like 50ft.

But I would also endorse the Buffalo Bayou idea, and yes i'm pretty sure that even Bill Gates could afford that. Wasn't it estimated at a cost of like 20 billion or something? That way the entire buffalo bayou complex that stretches through the cities center makes up Houston's version of Central park, nothing against Discovery Green. Perhaps even line it with low rise and midrise structures on the north and south sides of it as it snakes its way through the city. And along its backside, a rail system that connects UT and DT(NOT THE CURRENT STREET LEVEL VERSIONS!!!) Either elevated(like Chicago's EL) or Subway(ala New York). Only we could do one better by making either version alot more pleasing to the eye.

[Houston19514]

Thats a pretty big plan. Im not sure that Bill Gates has enough cash to do that much digging. Many of those waterways are brand new. There are sanitary sewers, water lines, electric utilities, and all kinds of other things that would pose a logistical super nightmare.

I think its a great plan, but I dont think its too realistic...I love water, I love boating, I love the outdoors...I would love the plan, but I just dont see something like that ever taking off.

Actually, they are proceeding with that plan, slowly but surely , step by step. On the whole, they are proceeding better than most "master plans" (e.g. the Main Street Master Plan a few years back)

[KinkaidAlum]

19514 is correct. I actually took some friends from New Hampshire along the Bayou this past weekend. We hiked around from Shepherd to downtown. They really enjoyed it. It's wild to be in area that looks so wild but when you look up you see skyscrapers all around. They also were pleasantly surprised by all of the outdoorsy things to do along the bayou (hiking, biking, canoeing, skate park, disc golf course, etc...). We ended up downtown and did the touristy thing of paying for the ferris wheel and shark train and then hit up Market Square for some drinks and then fish tacos before we ended up back at their hotel across from the Pavilions. The bayou system is the one thing we have that sets us apart. We just need to embrace it even more.

[Fringe]

  Reading yesterday's Alison Cook column about the Reading Terminal Market made me think this is something very doable for Houston and could be a great attraction if done right and in the right location.  I have never personally been to Philadelphia’s Reading Market but I have been to Pike’s Place Market in Seattle which appears to very similar. A market here combining Gulf Coast seafood and our abundant Tex-Mex influences I think would be a big hit. 

Why can't Houston have a Reading Terminal Market?

[Simbha]

Reading yesterday's Alison Cook column about the Reading Terminal Market made me think this is something very doable for Houston and could be a great attraction if done right and in the right location. I have never personally been to Philadelphia’s Reading Market but I have been to Pike’s Place Market in Seattle which appears to very similar. A market here combining Gulf Coast seafood and our abundant Tex-Mex influences I think would be a big hit.

Why can't Houston have a Reading Terminal Market?

Looks like an excellent idea, in my opinion. I've not been there (having only been to Philly once as a teenager); the description seems to imply that it's for prepared foods (as opposed to, say, raw meats and veggies). I wonder if this could be combined with some local crafts. Also, I love the idea of that Philbert the Pig sculpture acting as a depository for loose change for charities.

[TheNiche]

  Reading yesterday's Alison Cook column about the Reading Terminal Market made me think this is something very doable for Houston and could be a great attraction if done right and in the right location.  I have never personally been to Philadelphia’s Reading Market but I have been to Pike’s Place Market in Seattle which appears to very similar. A market here combining Gulf Coast seafood and our abundant Tex-Mex influences I think would be a big hit. 

Why can't Houston have a Reading Terminal Market?

From Cook's article:

"It occurred to me that half the fun was getting mustard all over me and trying to balance my coffee cup on the nooks and crannies of various stalls."

A likely-stained shirt or pants along with a risk of being drenched with my own scalding hot coffee...neither of these things sound very fun to me, so I can only possibly conclude that the other 50% must be equally underwhelming.

There aren't very many cities that have larger downtown office markets than Houston, but Philly is one of them. Their downtown area is also genuinely mixed-use, measured in neighborhoods rather than a handful of residential buildings. It's also an old city, and old cities by nature of their pre-automotive legacy are typically tourist-friendly by their very nature. A place like this Reading Terminal Market fits with the context of that environment.

We are not that city, and we shouldn't pretend to don its vestiges.

But perhaps more importantly, we're the city that eats prairie and poops restaurants (credit to memebag for that phrase). Having everything under one roof in Houston is for the unadventurous. SCREW THAT. If either a tourist or a resident isn't willing to drive a lot and go out of their comfort zone to experience our city then all they're going to get out of it is a very small slice of it, mostly contrived and boring. And there's absolutely nothing unauthentic we can do to change that.

Don't get me wrong. We can improve downtown and it's cultural offerings, just not by offering up an imitative and derivative urban form. We should instead do what makes sense for us, given our climate, our neighborhoods, and our local culture. The downtown tunnels are a good example of that. It's not that the idea of tunnels are unique to our city, just that they make the most sense here, so we've taken them to a much further extent. We should promote them and make them more tourist-friendly.

We should also promote places such as the Bellaire corridor and make tourists slog down it to select from one of dozens of anonymous little Asiatic holes-in-the-wall if they want to experience Houston's culture. That kind of experience cannot be transplanted to a glorified food court. Dare I say...you'd miss out on 'half the fun.'

[Fringe]

 It is not just about prepared food. It's also (at least in Seattle) about local crafts, a farmer's market, a fish market, etc. It's kind of hard to describe unless you've been there.  

[musicman]

Nothing makes me want to come to a city quite like being banned from using a taxi on a major highway. That'll really boost the tourism industry.

wow you ride in a car?

[musicman]

Don't get me wrong. We can improve downtown and it's cultural offerings, just not by offering up an imitative and derivative urban form. We should instead do what makes sense for us, given our climate, our neighborhoods, and our local culture. The downtown tunnels are a good example of that. It's not that the idea of tunnels are unique to our city, just that they make the most sense here, so we've taken them to a much further extent. We should promote them and make them more tourist-friendly.

We should also promote places such as the Bellaire corridor and make tourists slog down it to select from one of dozens of anonymous little Asiatic holes-in-the-wall if they want to experience Houston's culture. That kind of experience cannot be transplanted to a glorified food court. Dare I say...you'd miss out on 'half the fun.'

but the blogger's friends wouldn't want to be categorized as you described them. rubbery tortillas and overly sweet margaritas seem to be the norm.

[Subdude]

1. Bury all overhead power lines. That more than anything lends Houston that third world country look.

2. Implement the Buffalo Bayou Plan.

3. Eliminate feeder roads and trench freeways wherever possible.

4. As the OP said, more public art and especially more fountains.

5. Do some work to improve the poor street paving.

6. Plant trees everywhere possible.

7. Where possible remove vehicle lanes and devote the space to on-street parking (dual benefits of "traffic calming" to make more pedestrian friendly, and reducing demand for surface lots.

8. Tear down the Pierce Elevated to connect downtown to the green space on the bayou, making it downtown's front lawn.

9. Buy up the Katy Prairie and promote it as a giant nature preserve.

10. If there is to be a large public monument, let it be The Spirit of Houston.

What a shame this proposal was never built.

I can dream, can't I?

[citykid09]

1. Bury all overhead power lines. That more than anything lends Houston that third world country look.

2. Implement the Buffalo Bayou Plan.

3. Eliminate feeder roads and trench freeways wherever possible.

4. As the OP said, more public art and especially more fountains.

5. Do some work to improve the poor street paving.

6. Plant trees everywhere possible.

7. Where possible remove vehicle lanes and devote the space to on-street parking (dual benefits of "traffic calming" to make more pedestrian friendly, and reducing demand for surface lots.

8. Tear down the Pierce Elevated to connect downtown to the green space on the bayou, making it downtown's front lawn.

9. Buy up the Katy Prairie and promote it as a giant nature preserve.

10. If there is to be a large public monument, let it be The Spirit of Houston.

What a shame this proposal was never built.

I can dream, can't I?

I like it all! I agree with everything! Where would the Peirce Elevated go? Underground?

[Subdude]

I like it all! I agree with everything! Where would the Peirce Elevated go? Underground?

Or else just tear it down. The city wouldn't collapse.

[houstonmacbro]

More bike paths, better dual-mode transportation integration (bikes on trains during commute hours), a decent ramen place, a Gaza style wall built to wall off Katy and Woodlands from Houston and a targeted nuclear strike of Sugar Land.

Bike lanes should be a mandatory part of any new or retrograde construction projects on streets. I also agree with the dual-mode method for bikes/trains.

I'll go one step further and say rail along all major transportation routes (i.e. freeways). I45, I10 and 288 need rail lines substitutes into the city. I also think a cross-town route along Westheimer would be great, but that idea died (I think) with all the rail hoopla.

BTW, just what IS the status of rail. Seems like nothing is really happening with construction or am I just out of the loop?

No flamers please. These are just my suggestions and opinions since the question was asked.

[citykid09]

Or else just tear it down. The city wouldn't collapse.

Yeah, but the Peirce Elevated service a purpose. I agree, it seems out of place and it would improve the area if it was gone, but it have to be replaced somewhere. I think tunneling it would be best, or at least submerge it with street level streets crossing over it.

[houstonmacbro]

Yeah, but the Peirce Elevated service a purpose. I agree, it seems out of place and it would improve the area if it was gone, but it have to be replaced somewhere. I think tunneling it would be best, or at least submerge it with street level streets crossing over it.

It would be cool if "The Pierce" ran straight through downtown instead of around the western perimeter. Imagine whizzing straight past Wells Fargo tower at 70 mph.

Neat.

[AK123]

Some good suggestions so far.

I'd add to them: Condemn and raze the mini-cities of crummy apartments on the southwest side. Re-develop the areas into single-family homes with mixed-use on the edges (retail, restaurants, etc.) The southwest side is composed either of areas out of most peoples' price range (Bellaire, Meyerland, West U... nice areas with good public schools), or ghetto-like areas composed primarily of apartments with terrible public schools and high crime. Not much in between. There are no options for middle-upper class families who are a highly educated, relatively affluent demographic, but looking to spend $300k on a home rather than $700k+. And people wonder why places like Sugar Land are so popular... this is one reason why.