Urban Village Concept In Houston?

[kzseattle]

Many people complain about cookie-cutter homes and the lack of close-knit neighborhoods in the new master-planned communities being developed in the suburbs around Houston. I wonder if any of these communities have implemented the concept of urban village that I found quite common in Seattle area.

To give you an idea, a new community called Issaquah Highlands is being developed in the suburb of Issaquah near Seattle. It isnt a large community as you typically find in Houston area but has a large variety of homes from apartment units to million dollar homes. One of the subdivision consists entirely of condos, town homes and cottages. They have tried to create an ambience of a European village. The subdivision is compact with narrow streets and alleys with little parks in between. On the street level, there are a small shops to meet everyday needs such as convenience stores, cafes/bistros, deli stores etc. If I remember correctly, there is even a small cobblestone traffic circle with shops and a park around it, similar to what you would find in a village.

Here is a rather old article: http://www.kingcountyjournal.com/sited/story/html/80858

I think this concept is pretty appealing to young couples and singles who are not ready or willing to live in the isolation of large homes. Is anything like this being planned in Houston?

[tw2ntyse7en]

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[kzseattle]

The problem is close knit neighborhoods. These new cookie cutters are cramming as many homes as they can per acre. There is NO privacy.

Good fences make good neighbors. But the fence is worthless if your HOUSE's backyard is smaller than the house itself.

Glen

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes, but some people actually like to live in close knit or compact neighborhoods. Some are moving to older neighborhoods inside the loop or town homes/condos in Midtown only because they want to be in a dense neighborhood. They want to be able to walk down the street to get something to eat, instead of getting in the car everytime, and know the neighbors next door. Apparently, they don't mind "Krammers" barging into their apartments

On the other hand, that kind of lifestyle may not be too common in Texas because, apparently, people like to have a lot of space around them and there is plenty of land available to make that possible. Its streets are wide open and homes are typically built on large lots. I am not saying that one way is better than the other. It is just a difference in tradition/culture.

[tw2ntyse7en]

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[Talbot]

I think that community is cool kz.

When I am a few years older and can afford a place near downtown, I would love to live in the city. And I sure wouldn't mind walking and getting some exercise going to a deli store than sitting in a car, than getting my food, and sitting in the car again.

Not to mention the savings on gas money would be worth it.

[Double L]

tw2ntyse7en, houses close together are not meant to be cookie-cutter homes, they are meant to be the very urban housing we are talking about.

There is an urban lifestyle out there in which people can walk outside and walk up the sidewalk to whatever streetfront stores they find and live off that. This is the style of living people live in downtown Houston. If they want backyards, the compromise is that the backyards are smaller so you don't have to walk as far. WE will see this sort of development spring up all across the inner-loop. These development are not the developer ripping you off, they are building a style of housing whioch Houstion needs.

Exactly. This is why every neighborhood prior to about 1975 is in the ranch style format. Nice innerlocked neighborhood that you can have a block party, but still open and spacious like the state we live in.

Don't get me wrong, I think around downtown, midtown, montrose, med center, & uptown dense living is great.

Glen

Those can be found in our suburbs. We all need a diversity of options. If Houston can't provide the urban option we will not be urban.

[tw2ntyse7en]

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[tw2ntyse7en]

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[Double L]

Alright, I agree with you then, I'm sorry I misunderstood you.

[Guest danax]

Sounds pretty cool and like it could work here too. It seems that to work it needs to have a central, large-scale employer in the immediate vicinity with an employee base more of white-collar "yuppies" as opposed to, say, chemical plant workers. It would give people who want "urban living", but can no longer afford the real city, a shot at something similar.

[kzseattle]

I forgot to mention that people forget that this is Houston. It's built on a flood plain with nothing but forest & cow fields in ALL directions. This is not any other city that has any other obsticles keeping it from expanding which inturn forces the Urban Village option. This city, if properly taken care of, can thrive just fine with the Urban living inside & around the loop and nice properly laid out subvisions outside of the loop and the belt.

We HAVE to stop the cookie cutter developers from sprawling this Metro area anymore than they already have, while fixing, correcting, and maintaining what sprawl we already have.

Glen

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The goal of this concept is to provide dense, inner-city urban lifestyle in a suburb for those who cannot live in the core of the city. Whether we like it or not, many new housing subdivisions are being built around the city and maybe some of them could use this concept.

I am not sure if we can use the term "cookie-cutter" for this kind of development since, if I am not mistaken, the term is typically used for a collection of look-alike homes without inspiring architecture.

On the other hand, if a development employs a good mix of interesting designs and elevations, then the use of this term may not apply even if those residential units are compact.

In any case, I do agree with you that we do need to fix city's core inside the loop.