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The Pragmatist

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    Texas Central Project

    in Transit

    Posted

    13 minutes ago, cspwal said:

    Maybe they don't understand why anyone would ever want to go to Dallas and would prefer it to go to Austin instead :P

    If TCR can gain some traction with this, it would be interesting to see them branch a line off in the future from the Dallas-Houston line's jaunt down 290 and have it go on out to Austin. The biggest hurdles going in that direction would be getting through Brenham, Giddings, and east Austin. It would certainly be nice to have a connection out that way. Put a Fairfield-area station for switching between the lines and to get the western and northern suburbs connected (due to the proximity of 99), and you're golden.

    • Like 1

    609 Main At Texas

    in Downtown

    Posted

    In all honesty, it would be nice to have Sam Houston Park relocated to the southern side of downtown. Also, instead of the oddly sprawling layout of the park, it would be more interesting to have all of those houses situated along a park "boulevard" or sorts to make it feel like an old neighborhood. Then, the land around the main drag could be used as a lawn with nice trees. The way it sits now, SH Park looks somewhat haphazardly laid out.

    • Like 2

    I-45 Rebuild (North Houston Highway Improvement Project)

    in Traffic and Transportation

    Posted

    8 hours ago, IronTiger said:

     

    OK, that was a bit of a lie, I rarely hit 60 mph that time, but the traffic was flowing remarkably smooth for the Final Four events.

    You should've been on it 45 minutes ago. It took 25 minutes to get from I-45 @ Cullen to Heights Blvd @ I-10. You would've had all the time in the world to marvel at (or maybe even start to hate) the downtown skyline. The joy of Tuesday afternoon.

    • Like 1

    Houston Botanical Garden At The Glenbrook Golf Course

    in Going Up!

    Posted

    A bit off topic, but I kinda wish they would get rid of the golf course at Hermann Park. That space could be more useful to a greater number of people if it was repurposed. The park would also benefit by combining all of the various surface lots into garages with smaller footprints. Of course, all of this is pie-in-the-sky thinking in a world with a limitless supply of money. ^_^

    • Like 5

    609 Main At Texas

    in Downtown

    Posted · Edited by The Pragmatist

    Thanks, urb, for actually getting the article quoted. Doing it on my cell phone was too much while walking down the street. (I'm liable to be the guy who texts his way in front of a high-speed bus)

    • Like 1

    University Debates: Sports, Fundings, And Developments

    in Off Topic

    Posted · Edited by The Pragmatist

    One of the biggest problems is the Top Ten Percent Rule, as it limits the number of out-of-state kids a school like the University of Texas can accept to a very small percentage.

     

     
    To an extent, you can call that a problem. However, one must also consider the fact that the main goal of state-funded universities is to service the populace of the state. You can question the merits of the 10% rule, but you shouldn't speak badly of it and then encourage state universities to try to attract out-of-state students over in-state students. One of the main draws for those northeastern states (and California) for out-of-state students is the large number of prestigious private institutions located in their borders. For New York, you have schools such as NYU and Columbia. In Massachusetts, you have Harvard, Boston College, Boston University, MIT, and others. California has Stanford, Caltech, and the Claremont Colleges. Pennsylvania has schools such as Penn, Bryn Mawr, and Carnegie Mellon. The private schools in Texas don't have as much of a draw for out-of-state students. Rice enters into that tier, but few others have as much academic clout in the state. You see, private universities aren't as concerned (nor should they be) with relegating themselves to only the students of the state in which they reside.
     
    I'm not saying that the state universities for these states don't also attract higher numbers of out-of-state students, but I'd wager that a larger segment of students leaving the state for college aren't leaving to head to public universities.

    University Debates: Sports, Fundings, And Developments

    in Off Topic

    Posted · Edited by The Pragmatist

    You would be shocked at how many people live on the other side of 45 and go to school at UH, walking on Lockwood/Elgin underneath 45.

     

    It seems you would also be shocked to see how safe that neighborhood is.

     

    Hell, you'd also be shocked to find out how many students are starting to move into 3rd ward. (admittedly, this is only happening because the east end is starting to be priced out of what they can afford)

     

    Anyway, a lot of UH students are paying their own way through school, no help from parents, of if so, it's meager. So they work jobs and go to school, and since the parents aren't paying, where their parents perceive as safe is not really relevant. The students may still be students, but they are adults making adult decisions.

     
    I wouldn't be shocked as I am a student at UH right now. I also park off campus down Alabama (hate paying for parking passes), or I ride my bike from the Heights into class through the Second Ward/East Downtown area, so I don't think you're going to give me some giant revelation. I am not trying to disparage the university as I have an interest in it. I am telling it like it is. There is a large group of students who do have parents who care and worry about the safety of their children. It is a concern. There are students living in the Third Ward, sure, and there are students living down Cullen and Lockwood in the Eastwood/Second Ward area, but saying that doesn't mean that there isn't an elevated rate of crime in the area surrounding the university. For this reason, a lot of parents would rather their children live at home with them if they cannot live on campus. When you receive quite a few number of emails of students being robbed at gunpoint or physically assaulted while being robbed, it becomes disconcerting for parents.
     
    Beyond all of this, I was addressing the reason why there is a perception of the university as a commuter school, first and foremost. I'm not trying to argue with you about things I know firsthand.
    • Like 1

    University Debates: Sports, Fundings, And Developments

    in Off Topic

    Posted · Edited by The Pragmatist

    Even with the bevy of on-campus options, UH still gets a "commuter" rap because the area around campus doesn't offer much in the way of student residential options that parents would consider safe given the crime rate in the adjacent areas. It makes it feel less like a community once you step past the edge of campus. With A&M, probably 95% of students live within 10 or 15 minutes of the campus. With UT, there are a host of housing options for students just off campus, particularly on its western edge. For UH, I wouldn't be surprised if fewer than 50% of students are within a 15 minute driving radius of the university, mainly because a lot of students are from Houston and would rather save the money on housing and instead live with their parents. I don't necessarily see this as a bad thing.

     

    To be true, the university will undoubtedly see expansion of on-campus and campus-adjacent living options in the near future, especially if the adjoining area can be redeveloped. Redevelopment of Scott Street is a must. Same with the areas along Holman, Alabama, and Elgin up through at least the Rail Trail. Additionally, almost the entire area between 45, Scott, Cullen, and Elgin would need some sort of redevelopment. If some of these planned off campus projects can get started, like the one on the corner of Elgin and Scott, it will be cool to see, and it could spur a clean-up of the areas immediately surrounding the university. If something can develop along Scott that can be likened to Northgate in College Station or the Drag in Austin, it would be most beneficial in creating a college vibe that could benefit both UH and TSU.

    • Like 2

    University Debates: Sports, Fundings, And Developments

    in Off Topic

    Posted

    I went to A&M Galveston. It may be a different experience, but is a branch of Main Campus. Degree says Texas A&M... not A&M Galveston. Ring is the same, same traditions honored. Attended Bonfires, still attend Aggie Musters, etc... TAMUG is apart on Big A&M. Not another A&M school like Corpus Christi or Prarie View, for example.

    Ok. This is where Main Campus Aggies usually start getting all excited (we're use to it). But Enrique's and my Rings and Degrees are just the same as theirs. Our Education met the same standards and accreditation. It's a great school and I loved every day spent there. Just had to speak up.

     

    Hey, at least Galveston is closer to the CS campus than the other branch campus in Qatar.

    Regent Square: Mixed-Use On Allen Parkway At Dunlavy St.

    in Going Up!

    Posted

    40 would look good there. 85 would be better but we must take what we can. How tall is the AIG building - could look good that distance from each other.

    According to Wikipedia:

     

     

     

    The America Tower is a 590 ft (180m) tall skyscraper. It was completed in 1983 and has 42 floors. It is the 19th tallest building in the city. It serves as the headquarters of Baker Hughes.[3] It served as the former headquarters of Continental Airlines; it now houses AIG American General and BDO USA, LLP.
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