citykid09

With the new Mid Lane Mixed-Use going up, I figured that I should bring this topic back up. I just don't see how a highend area like this would not be pushing for the tracks to be burried.

How many floors does it have now?

I saw this awhile back and I like it, but am I the only one who thinks this is not grand enough for downtown? It looks like something that should be in the museum district. The main building is just too short.

A lot of People say Houston is ugly. In my opinion Houston was made ugly by its leaders, it doesn't have to be ugly just because their are no hills. I think the Woodlands is a beautiful area. It was beautifully developed and the forest is a big plus. If Houston has a whole had the right leadership from the beginning it would not have to be the endless development,  none walkable place that it is.

How exactly? What tangible things will we get that we don't already have? What specifically do we need as a city that can only be gained through self promotion? 

Tourism? More super bowls? Maybe. As someone who loves Houston, improving Houston's image through promotion might make me feel better, but I don't see how it would make the city better or more successful.

 

I think we should concentrate on improving the visual landscape before we start promoting ourselves. Otherwise, it just might backfire. Let's start with demolishing everything that exist along the freeways from the airports to downtown. It makes me ill when I think what people who have never been to Houston before must think of Houston while driving down 45, Hardy or 59.

 

Improve that and Houston's image improves with it - so does the quality of life for the residents.

At first I didn't like where your post was going, but then I began to like it. I agree demolish all the trash shopping centers and billboards along ALL of the freeways especially I-45 and line the freeways with trees. My favorite freeways and tollway areas in Houston are surrounded by trees or submerged. For instants coming in to the West Loop from 290/I-10 area and the Beltway 8 from the City Centre are on south through the forested area.

How Houston’s Missing Media Gene Hobbles Its Global City Ambitions

http://www.newgeography.com/content/004137-how-houston-s-missing-media-gene-hobbles-its-global-city-ambitions

Houston is absolute nowhere when it comes to media or thought leadership, and seems indifferent to the fact.

 

I have been saying this since I joined HAIF about 11 years ago. Houston really has no media presence. So much so that we get exited just when we hear Houston mentioned in a TV show or in the news. To other cities its just an everyday occurrence.

 

Houston can brag all its wants about its legitimate accomplishments in important areas like job and population growth and in providing middle-class opportunity. But if it wants to claim the mantle of global city, or even just head off threats to its way of doing business, it needs, like the Bay Area, to self-consciously stake out the role of leader.  For starters, that means putting its bigtime financial and intellectual muscle behind getting its message out. That means, like it or not, investing not only in oil wells, but inkwells.

Sorry for all the edits, I am having a hard time adding quotes.

How Houston’s Missing Media Gene Hobbles Its Global City Ambitions

http://www.newgeography.com/content/004137-how-houston-s-missing-media-gene-hobbles-its-global-city-ambitions

 

This mindset explains why the city has a blind spot, a missing gene if you will, that keeps it from understanding the necessity of having a robust media presence as part of its ambition to become a true global city.

I have been saying this since I joined HAIF about 11 years ago. Houston really has no media presence. So much so that we get exited just when we hear Houston mentioned in a TV show or in the news. To other cities its just an everyday occurrence.

Wasn't that Target built around 2003? Am I right? Any chance of it being redeveloped anytime soon?

Its nice. But why the hell is it surrounded by a mile of cement and not up to the sidewalk?

yes. room for a restaurant and some basic residential needs ("retail") i believe.

Great! It should be nice for the area and hopefully it has a rippling affect.

Will this place have retail and restaurants on the ground floor? The rendering seems to show this.

Unfortunately I haven't heard of any plans to remove the cheesy red "smokestacks".

Those definitely should be removed. I personally don't like the building at all. It just looks out of place in downtown and then that big ugly freeway that sits at the back roof of it. Maybe its just the design of the building but I just don't like it.

Who thinks W Hotels is now thinking "Is there something about Houston that we have been ignoring?" They have Hotels in all the major cities but have skipped Houston for years. Atlanta alone has 3 W hotels.

I wonder if Houston ever had a super station like TBS or WGN.???

This might be a dumb question, but how far is Hughes Landing from the Woodlands Town Square area?

I can almost understand the $1M+ condo... it's the $4,500/month fee that blows me away  (http://search.har.com/engine/dispSearchPrint.cfm?MLNUM=12651939&CLASS=6&sType=0&print=y&leadid=6&portalid=HAR)

 

That's like another $1M mortgage.

That is the reason that no matter how much money I have I would never want to own any condo. Its like you are still renting, you don't truley own it because you have to constanlty pay that much a month. Not for me! Its amazing that that many people can afford that though.

This is Houston. We change out buildings as quickly as the weather changes.

MCDONALD'S will be gone soon

Thats the same thing I was thinking. Maybe 5 years at the most if development trends continue the way they are going. It just seems out of place now.

An elevated crosswlak in my opinon would be very tacky when problems like this could be solved the way other cities would do it. As in, add stripes to the road so that people know that pedestians cross there, reduce the speed limit etc.

in regards to the parking strip in the front that everyone hates so much.. is it possible the Post Oak expansion will eventually take that out, so the shops are closer to the sidewalk/curb? 

and on a side note, what will happen to the chrome arches when they widen post oak?

If the city was smart, instead of looking to widen the street for BRT, they should look for ways to narrow it a bit so that pedestrians will feel more comfortable walking in the area. Post Oak has a suburban design and that area has changed a lot since the road was fist designed. I think the medians should be removed and large continues sidewalks should be put in. Just my opinion.

I agree with you that I'd have rather seen the money spent on heavy rail which would have had more ridership, more impact, and more durability. 

 

However the light rail lines in Los Angeles look similar to this. 

 

But they also have heavy rail and BRT as well.

Are you sure light rail in Los Angeles is that similar to Houston's? From what I have seen, LA's light rail is set up more like a heavy rail system.

Am I the only one that thinks this light rail looks out of place? For some reason it just doesn't seem right. And it looks a mess with all those powerlines and cords hanging above the light rail. But what can you say? They tried? I'm sorry its just not working for me. I think a street car line would have been much better for these VERY non urban areas. The money should have been spent on a subway line from downtown to the galleria and to the big airport. Just my opinion. Please post videos of a similar light rail line that goes through areas like this in other cities I would like to see.

Am I the only one who is sick of all these studies? Just build it already and stop wasting time on all these studies.

VERY NICE! I like it when companies announce something and begin construction right away. I hate it when they announce something and then delay it, then cancel it.

Looks really nice.  There will probably only be about 1/5th of the people in the renderings actually walking around, but still... nice.

No, there will definitely be lots of people walking around.

It would be really nice if the retail came up to Westheimer instead of parking in the front. Also would be nice if it connected to that other mixed use development next to it. There is no cohesiveness in development in Houston like you see in other cities.