lockmat

Who are your influences that have given you this sort of thinking? What books have you read? Or are these just your own conclusions? Just wondering since I haven't really heard this before But at the same time, I'm not so sure the internet will change things as much as you think. Although technology continues to get better at a very high rate, we always fail to acknowledge the importance and irreplacable factor of face-to-face in person interaction. Maybe I'm not seeing beyond what's in front of me, but I'm not so sure about all that. It's possible that it'll happen like that, but you never know. This is all my opinion of course. I think it'll be interesting to see things play out

We have a bunch of decent running backs. None that you can hang your hat on and know they'll get you at least 100 yards every game. We don't have any game-breakers. Maybe they'll be better if our O-line gets better next year.

I forget what the numbers are as far as when they expect Houston to add 3 million more people, but if I remember right, it wasn't that far off. I know that technology and mass transit is coming, but will it get here soon enough? Will we have to suffer greatly until it catches up? Congestion is quickly getting worse out in the suburbs and there is no help coming as far as public transportation. The longest I've lived in Houston since going off to college in 2001 is about four or five months. But I came back this Christmas and suburban traffic was not very nice; worse than before. Plus, I'm just thinking about the weather. I know we have A/C, but LA has a much more mild climate. I know it can get warm there too, but not like here. I wonder if that'll have an affect. ----------------------------------- what is this you're talking of? Have a link or anything? And niche, you sure have a way of killing a thread by answering everything in a few posts, hah. Thanks though, I appreciate the knowledge and perspecitve

People leading the new urbansim movment tend to think that there is a better quality of life in it. Most people probably have not experienced an urban environment considering most of the country is sprawled out. So I guess suburban quality of life isn't so bad that they'll stop buying houses on huge lots. I'm sure ubanizing has many good qualities that are better than sprawled life, but I gues people just don't see it. Or like you, I guess there things that it just won't provide unless you have a lot of money. But like my parents who just built a big house on a two acre lot in the Woodlands area, they have everything they need within a 10-15 driving distance, and wouldn't know what Houston was like at all if my aunt didn't live in Bellaire and my dad didn't work downtown. Despite the small gap in quality of life, I don't think people are thinking about environmental issues and will never know what could have been b/c they'll never see an adequetly healthy one with thy way things are going.

What part of the city are aging suburbs? Is that the area in between the loops? I ask this Niche, if the growth patterns we have seen in the past five to ten years continue, how will we deal with vehicular congestion? Even if most people don't work near the city center and work in satellite communites, they'll still need to travel on freeways and major streets. And even with Metro's current plan to extend light rail out to just past the 610 loop all around the city, it won't be enough. Suburbian people will kill themselves before they even get to their destinations out of frustration. Houston and surrounding counties will have to keep up with demands for public transoportation. Or maybe not. I guess LA deals with that problem.

With the new urbanism movment, what do y'all think is the future of the suburbs? I know this is a very comprehensive topic, but wanted to know what some of your ideas on this were. Hopefully we can all add on to each other's ideas to come closer, but not necessarily, to some sort of conclusion. Some factors I've thought about: - gentrification in the city and new urbanism (not sure if i'm being redundant) - people leaving the 'burbs and moving closer to the city center - mass public transit (LRT, BRT) - population growth - which will lead to congested freeways - which might lead to even more people, including middle class, to move closer to the city center Of course, if what I believe might happen, and more people want to live closer in and the population grows, those houses and apartments they left in the 'burbs will be filled by the new population. But what if developers keep on building unnecessary residential or the city center continues to become even more dense? What will become of those houses? My way of thinking may be off, because I believe most likely that the market will work itself out. I think it'll be very interesting to see how this develops. What do y'all see happening in the future?

Maybe taquerias can be what everyone knows. Yall ever eat at them? Most of them may be whole in the walls, but they are delicous. My favorite is the torta. I've fallen in love with them. I'm in albuquerque right now and they have some here too but they're all over in Houston. Try them if you haven't. They're cheap too, which is the best part.

I just read on TxDots site that there is a study of the possibilites to widen 1960 from 4 to 6 lanes.

Thanks for clearing up that mess. It's just annoying to read that stuff

Why do some people in this forum always talk is if they are absolutely correct all the time? There's not many people asking questions and trying to learn, instead it seems as if it's just a competition to see who can act like they know more. I'm sure many people do know what they're talking about, but it's as if they already know it all, when it's most likely not the case. I don't think I'm going out on a limb when I say that most people on here are laymen and are not experts. Just my observation. Some HAIFers need to let off a little bit.

DJ, he said to take a QB in the second round, not the first. But the Texans were so inconsistent all season that it's hard to tell what we need more. And of course we had injuries just like any other team, but our O-line wasn't too bad at the beginning of the season. We as fans tend to think we know more than we actually do, regardless of football knowledge and experience. Even the so called experts don't seem to know what they're talking about sometimes. Football is such a team game and complicated that it's hard to put your finger on problems. One mistake effects the rest of the team. It's not like baseball where you can clearly see if a player gets hits or not, or like basketball players putting the ball in the hoop. Football is not obvious like those sports. Each position affects the rest. They depend on each other like no other sport. Personally, here's some priorities I think they should take: Sage Rosenfells (sp) looked more than capable of running a team when he was in there. I watched that game again a couple days ago and he looked very good. He might be able to be our starting QB and if not, for sure our backup. If we go the free agency route for a starting QB, we shouldn't pick one in the draft any earlier than the 5th round. We need to beef up our O-line not only for a starting position but for 2nd stringers to create competition and a solid backup in case of injury. This I believe should be a first or second round pick. Our secondary also needs to be addressed. I would say pick up a CB or safety in the second or third rounds. And although we have Andre and Moulds, we need to get a third WR. I'm sure we have more needs than we can fill and problems that we can't see and problems that we think we see. Kubiak had a great draft last year and I believe that whatever they do in the offseason will likely be just as good.

I got to go home for Christmas and was in and around the Woodlands plenty. There were many occassions when I heard people speaking spanish. I know much of the recent talk has been about blacks, but I just wanted to share my observations about Hispanics.

ENFJ

Touche Niche. I think it's really cool how they keep adding. How much of it was actually planned before all this stuff was built? Or do they just have short term plans every so often? Anyone know?

I guess I meant that houses tend to promote it. They surely don't promote community as much as we'd like to think they do. And yeah, you're right. Pretty is a good thing regardless. I mean, you've gotta work with what you got, so I'm not totally putting it down. I like going there.

Yeah, the whole area is nice around the mall, but it just seems like a psuedo attempt to make it more urban or something. It's like Disney World. People go there because it's pretty and all and then leave to go back to their secluded anti-social houses. It's fantasy in a way. I don't know what they plan to do with that small plot of land right next to the Market Street movie theater and parking garage, but a residential tower, however big would be a good idea i think. HEB is right there for them.

One thing I would love to see happen is for grade schools in the Houston area to educate at least a little on things going on in Houston; improvments, opporunities etc. If we could stir up kids and get them thinking early for visions of Houston I think we'll be able to keep our top talent here and they will in return implement those visions.

Purpose The Urban Redevelopment Plan (Plan) addresses neighborhood revitalization by returning abandoned tax delinquent properties (See Map 1.1) to productive use while providing an increase in affordable housing opportunities. The Plan also addresses abating health and safety nuisances, returning abandoned property to tax revenue producing land, enhancing the quality of life, eliminating blight, spurring economic growth and redevelopment, and ensuring community stability. The Urban Redevelopment Plan will be utilized by the Land Assemblage Redevelopment Authority (LARA) to guide decision-making when responding to development proposals for the purchase and redevelopment of property acquired through foreclosure. This document outlines recommendations collected from the community via public community workshops to guide the selection of proposals. The recommendations provide a framework for redevelopment and are flexible enough to allow for a range of development scenarios while being responsive to community preferences. Background Houston City Council initially approved the creation of the Land Assemblage Redevelopment Authority (LARA) in october 1999 to oversee the redevelopment of tax delinquent property. LARA was formed by the City of Houston along with participation from Harris County and HISD. Study Area The focus area included in the Fifth Ward Urban Redevelopment Plan is located just northeast of downtown Houston. The area is bound by Elysian to the west, Collingsworth to the north, Sakowitz to the east and Clinton Drive to the south. Household Income Fifth Ward incomes are relatively low compared to the citywide median family household income of $48,800. The majority (51%) of residents in Fifth Ward have incomes less than $18,300. Land Use Fifty-five percent (55%) of all lots in the study area are singlefamily. One-third of the lots (32%) are vacant. Multi-family, commercial and public/institutional land uses each represent 3 percent of the parcels. Industrial has the smallest percentage with only 2 percent of the number of parcels. Planning Process Under the direction of the Land Assemblage Redevelopment Authority (LARA), the City of Houston Planning and Development Department (P&D) hosted a series of community workshops to develop an Urban Redevelopment Plan. The workshops were organized to educate attendees about affordable housing issues and to gather information about their community design preferences. A community preference survey was developed to gather and evaluate the community

They're actually redeveloping it for the people who already live in that area. I will try and quote some of the highlights of the report.

The document is here It's worth the read. If you haven't, I would strongly consider it. Although I would bet that this area doesn't affect most of us directly, it is still very important for those close to that area and obviously the ones living in it. As a part of the city of Houston, I would hope everyone would be concerned for that community. The report is not a hard read and very detailed with interesting and relevant information. I'm very encouraged that there is a plan for this community and that it will have the potential to contribute to the communities and Houston in general even more. With the low income that most residents have, I was surprised that they didn't want an even more walkable neighborhood and instead 'voted' for a more auto-centered one. I don't know what percentage of them own cars, but it seems like a good majority would not, and would therefore want a neighborhood that wouldn't require one. Have any of you seen improvments made since this report was published in 2005? What are y'alls thoughts?

Honestly, I've grown up in the Spring/Woodlands area and haven't really traveled around downtown except by car when I go to Astros or Rockets games, plus I've been living in Albuquerque for the past year. But I finally had a chance last night to walk around on mainstreet and it is awesome! It's exactly what we need with the everyday stuff on the first floor and residential above it. Those places have done a great job looking creative and making their respective businesses attractive. My favorite part was walking on the sidewalks under the Rice Hotel place; it's beautiful. I wish that more of the other the buildings would provide protection from the weather like that to go along with those nice lookin poles (don't know if there's some techincal term for 'em). Hopefully as additions continue to that area, they'll put that into consideration, which I think they will. It's funny how you don't really realize what you have until it's gone and you come back to it. Walking around downtown and looking up at such huge towers was just jaw dropping. I guess I've never really walked around too many downtowns with skyscrapers. Albuquerque's tallest building is probably 20 floors max, so walking among Houston's bohemoths (sp?) was really sweet. I rode the LRT from Preston to TMC too around 6 or 7 pm and it was pretty much full the entire time. Not bad. It seemed very convenient as well. We didn't have to wait for one for more than ten mins, which isn't bad at all. I've only ridden LRT one other time in Athens and our's is a much smoother ride than theirs was. I can't wait until I move back. I'm hoping to move DT or some urban area when I do. DT is on the right track. All I see is potential, and I can't see people not taking advantage of it. We just have to be patient.

Yeah, that's a big part of it

Are there affordable dwellings, condos/apartments, for someone who is lower to middle class economically? I don't know of everything available, but it seems like all the places to live are for people with a good deal of money.

Take away everything you think is good about Houston including trees and different color buildings, and then factor in the humidity and mosqiutos of Houston, and I could ask the same thing. Personally, the humidity isn't THAT bad, although it's nothing to enjoy, but I can hardly explain how I've tolerated the mosquitos my whole life. They can make life miserable.

I basically feel like if we just take care of our own city's future and current problems, it will be great and we'll be satisfied. We won't have to compare.