Future Houston- What will she look like?

[rsb320]

Why do you think the Hardy Toll Road dumps you on 45 at the county line? Montgomery County refused to pitch in. It was originally supposed to go to Conroe (I think).

[Trae]

And now Montgomery County is trying to build a tollway on the east side of the county.

[Pumapayam]

Bill White comments on future of city.

Talks about lightrail and urban mix use developments.

Over the next 20 years, Houston will become a denser city where people won't have to drive as much because they're riding mass transit and living close to where they work and shop.

Inskeep asked what that means in a city like Houston that's spread out over more than 600 square miles. White's response:

For one thing, flexible working hours. People don't need to be in their cubicles from 8:30 to 5:30. We're encouraging multiple employment centers so people have choices where they can live close to where they work. They shouldn't have to have all the employment in a central location and then either have to be very wealthy or commute for 40 or 50 miles. That's wrong. It also means building more mass transit.

White went on to say that mass transit ridership is up sharply in Houston, and said the planned additions to Metro's light rail system will make Houston "probably the most aggressive builder of new light rail lines of any city in the U.S. over the next three years."

[JJVilla]

I think this article might go best here:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5880220.html

It's titled: "National panel suggests a new path for region - Urban experts call for local leaders to use transportation to guide growth"

It focuses on the decline of 1960 corridor.

[TheNiche]

I think this article might go best here:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5880220.html

It's titled: "National panel suggests a new path for region - Urban experts call for local leaders to use transportation to guide growth"

It focuses on the decline of 1960 corridor.

FM 1960 is not in decline, per se...you need only drive along FM 1960 and see all the traffic to realize that. It is only becoming more affordable. That's what most 35-year-old suburbs do. It ought to be celebrated. We need affordable housing.

If you want to see an area in decline, visit Ohio.

[desirous]

The donut-ring of working-class neighborhoods is moving outward as the Inner Loop moves upscale; similar trends are occurring in other parts of town like the Westside and Stafford. It's only natural.