quietstorm

6 hours ago, corbs315 said:

 

They're really over-emphasizing the "walkability" here and in every other press release I've seen about it.

 I live nearby and walk around the area quite a bit.  It is walkable; however, aside from Herman Park, the museums, Park Plaza Hospital and Rice, there aren't a lot of "neighborhood" places to walk to (i.e., grocery stores, cleaners, drug stores, etc.), but this is par for the course in Houston....

17 hours ago, UtterlyUrban said:

"Balance"? There is no balance.  Every year for at least the last several large areas of the lawns turn to dirt due to the stress of over-programming in the park. For the record, two years ago I sent an email to park management suggesting that the condition of the lawns were a direct result of over-programming.  They sent me a similar response to the above.  In two years the "balance" they have struck continues to result in fields of dust.....  Great balance for a place called Discovery GREEN.

I would agree. The grass on the Miller Outdoor Theater hill seems to be "stronger". Seems as if there could be a different type of grass used that could better withstand the wear. The green areas around Chicago's Millennium Park and Central Park in NYC seem to do much better. We can do better as well.

I wrote to DG regarding the condition of the Great Lawn (dead grass).  Got this reply....

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We are very honored to be among the top 10 parks in the United States.  We wouldn’t be on the list without the support of our visitors, like yourself.  Thank you!

 

Due to the popularity, and success of Discovery Green, it has become very challenging to keep the green in Discovery Green.  The condition of the lawns is always on my mind.  The number and frequency of large events and festivals, along with the time of year they take place, impact the lawns tremendously.  In some instances we automatically plan on replacing the sod, like in the case of the temporary art exhibit, Los Trompos.  We are constantly looking ahead at our calendar to minimize the impact on the lawns.  The Great Lawn will be a little bare in some areas this summer because we are planning on overseeding the lawn with winter rye in November.  We want the lawns in the best shape possible for the Super Bowl. 

 

You can’t imagine the discussions that take place in the office between the programming team and the operations team.  One wanting to host as many events as possible, and the other not wanting to destroy the lawns.  It’s a fine balance. 

 

Thank you for your concern. 

 

Kind regards,

 

Clark Curry

Operations Director

Discovery Green

1500 McKinney

The Next City Big Idea Challenge is in Houston this year:

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Join us for a night of cocktails, food and inspiring ideas for Houston's future presented by Next City's 2016 Vanguard class. 

Next City has selected Houston to host its annual Vanguard conference, bringing 40 top urban innovators aged 40 and under to Space City for a three-day conference culminating in the organization's signature ideas competition. 

The Big Idea Challenge is a chance for the brightest young urban thinkers from across North America  to prototype and present a design intervention that, if successful, could be replicated elsewhere.

The event is Wednesday, May 13 at 6:30 pm at Discovery Green. 

5 hours ago, kbates2 said:

 

Disagree. I think that tourists at least would be much more interested in restaurants that aren't chains.  Suburbanites also are not very likely to venture downtown to try the downtown Chipotle as opposed to their neighborhood one.  We just need more restaurants that aren't closed after 3 pm altogether.

I think it's a combo of both.

On 3/14/2016 at 8:54 PM, Texasota said:

But it really was never supposed to be just a "green" park. They were very clear that it was going to be heavily programmed from the start. And I think these regular events draw people to the park. I certainly have enjoyed going for free yoga in the morning then, totally unexpectedly, finding myself in the middle of a Vietnamese cultural festival.

I understand that, as it is now, Discovery Green is not exactly what you were hoping it would be. I think a lot of people really enjoy whats been done with it though and a big part of that comes from these regular diverse events. And it seems like there are usually plenty of children using the park as well, so I don't think these uses are actually completely in conflict. 

Agree and one of the primary goals of the designer, Project for Public Spaces, is to have multi-use public spaces where diverse people can be in proximity to each other while enjoying a variety of activities.

3 hours ago, Nole23 said:

500 Crawford posted the picture below on their FB with the caption:

"First movers to NEADO, Houston’s neighborhood to watch. Luxury amenities, downtown address, walkable lifestyle, and Minute Maid Park’s next door neighbor"

Please NO!!! Ballpark District or Ballpark Village or something other than NEADO lol

anyways,...Nice view...

 

 

I like "Ballpark District"

Did the Chase tower get new lighting on top? Im not sure I've ever noticed it with anything besides the white christmas lights.

The LED lights change from time to time.  I've seen red/green (Christmas) red only (Heart Awareness) and pink (Breast Cancer Awareness).

Photo and update courtesy of Swamplot. 

Really cool 49 second sped up video courtesy of Jackson Myers at Swamplot. This is not the new line, but hopefully, the new line will begin to get more riders soon.

https://youtu.be/T8zWQh_wC_A

Not sure how they're doing, but might gain traction with hotel guests and Skyhouse residents.

Today.

I am very impressed with the thoughtfulness of this development.  It integrates into the existing buildings and MMP well.

Today.

Today.

As of today.

As of today.