ToolMan Posted October 11, 2004 Share Posted October 11, 2004 Chronicle 'Logic, horror' of Midtown By JANETTE RODRIGUES Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle Academics have been known to dream up some strange selections for college courses. ADVERTISEMENT But Midtown? That's right. The neighborhood between downtown and the museum district is under the scrutiny of students from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. Marcel Smets, a critic in the school's department of urban planning and design, came up with the idea to "investigate the logic, horror and poetry behind the physical evolution" of Midtown. Go figure. Smets brought 12 students here recently for a tour because he's "intrigued" by Midtown's possibilities. Besides, the Downtown Management District and Greater Houston Partnership sponsored their five-day visit. He said he believes the neighborhood is poised for an essential role as it is shaped by such elements as light rail, absence of zoning, climate and Houston's car culture. But are developers doing a disservice by simply recreating suburban models in an urban setting? Smets says yes. Smets says he believes Midtown developers aren't "responding to the aspirations of the Houston community." He told his students to rethink the future of urban design. The school will present the results in December. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted October 11, 2004 Share Posted October 11, 2004 Looks like Harvard has been reading this board.CVS, BW3, etc. No friends of Midtown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talbot Posted October 11, 2004 Share Posted October 11, 2004 thank the lord. Someone actually cares. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N Judah Posted November 4, 2004 Share Posted November 4, 2004 So midtown should go from a slum to Williamsburg overnight? Some people seem to have instant gratification problems . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest danax Posted November 5, 2004 Share Posted November 5, 2004 ChronicleSmets says he believes Midtown developers aren't "responding to the aspirations of the Houston community." <{POST_SNAPBACK}>If a developer doesn't respond to the community he'll find out pretty fast when sales are slow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Town Man Posted November 5, 2004 Share Posted November 5, 2004 It's easy to say all that... until you go to another city and see a wasteland transformed into an exciting urban neighborhood in a matter of a few years, all because development is made to work in sync.Name one advantage of having CVS's with parking lots, a vet hospital, and walled apartment complexes in the middle of your "urban" neighborhood.Most damning of all, Houston's best developers have repeatedly testified that they are afraid to build their best stuff because there's nothing to ensure that something won't go up beside it that ruins it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midtown_resident Posted November 5, 2004 Share Posted November 5, 2004 Htown...i couldn't agree with you more. This fear of zoning or design constraints is unbelievable. Everytime I visit other cities...and see the urban hotspots that are being developed...the enthusiasm about midtown gets sucked right out of me... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midtownguy Posted November 5, 2004 Share Posted November 5, 2004 Midtown resident, I totally agree. I'm usually optimistic about midtown, touting the future possibilites to friends who don't live in the area - until I travel.Then, as you said, when I get back I think: midtown is hopeless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bachanon Posted November 5, 2004 Share Posted November 5, 2004 c'mon midtown people. cheer up! i live in the woodlands and i'm excited about midtown and downtown. i'm living vicariously through you! since i was a kid in conroe, i've been fascinated with houston's central core, it's history, it's architecture, it's people. some of the most exciting things i remember from childhood, growing up, to now have occurred inside the loop. my first circus at the coliseum, my first broadway show at the music hall, my first symphony at jones hall, my first rock concert at the summit, 30th birthday at la strada, mo mong/zimms/farrago last weekend. i could go on and on. my parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles all have memories of a bustling downtown scene "way back when" and even as a kid i wondered why it changed and how it might return. my entire life i've waited for what's happening now. i can't wait for "critical mass" to begin to occur in hotspots around midtown and downtown. however, it takes time, it takes people (like HAIF), it especially takes all of you who live there and buy groceries there and establish the warm blooded presence necessary for investors to get projects going. don't give up. don't lose patience. spend! i realize that being there everyday can make change seem REALLY slow, but what is happening is occurring quickly in the grand scheme of things. ok, maybe not as quickly as the woodlands. ;) what is happening in houston is long term permanent change for the better (IMHO), that's a lot more difficult and culturally significant (again IMHO) than a corporate "master plan". if you guys get discouraged and move out, then it WILL take forever or worse, be impossible. anyhoo, i'll get off the box. be encouraged guys, it's all good.....and getting better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
civic_mark Posted November 5, 2004 Share Posted November 5, 2004 Nicely written BachOnly enthusiasm and some a fresh look will make Midtown a success. If we rely on the old guard and the typical houston autocentric paradigm then Midtown will never recover.Welcome to Houston, Harvard. Hope to see you all at the sparsely populated Metro stop in Midtown! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted November 5, 2004 Share Posted November 5, 2004 I'm really curious to see what the students come up with. Midtown has a lot to overcome to develop to its potential. It's interesting that one of the most successful turnaround stories in Houston has happened in the adjacent neighborhood - Fourth Ward. The Fourth Wad has come a long way from what it was and seems to have regained much of its residential character. It has a while to go, but I think it has perhaps more long-run potential than Midtown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
largeTEXAS Posted November 6, 2004 Share Posted November 6, 2004 Don't get down you guys. There's a lot of great stuff on the table that hasn't been announced yet. Remember, Houston is new to this rebuilding urban neighborhoods concept. We can't be compared to Williamsburg or other trendy urban neighborhoods around the country. Midtown is the testing ground for what should be a model for the city in terms of urban redevelopment. It takes a lot of effort to get the ball rolling, but once it does we'll see the neighborhood develop fast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted November 7, 2004 Share Posted November 7, 2004 Don't get down you guys. There's a lot of great stuff on the table that hasn't been announced yet. Remember, Houston is new to this rebuilding urban neighborhoods concept. We can't be compared to Williamsburg or other trendy urban neighborhoods around the country. Midtown is the testing ground for what should be a model for the city in terms of urban redevelopment. It takes a lot of effort to get the ball rolling, but once it does we'll see the neighborhood develop fast.Well, yes, Houston is new at it, but that doesn't mean we can't learn from the experiences of other cities. I think the concern here is that that learning isn't happening. The neighborhood may well develop, but the issue is if this kind of development is optimal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N Judah Posted March 3, 2005 Share Posted March 3, 2005 Did anything happen with this? The article said the Harvard people would have a report out by December. I can't find anything about it on the HSD web site, so I'm guessing they decided not to do it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qol2005 Posted March 4, 2005 Share Posted March 4, 2005 Did anything happen with this? The article said the Harvard people would have a report out by December. I can't find anything about it on the HSD web site, so I'm guessing they decided not to do it?<{POST_SNAPBACK}>It will end up on the Midtown website.I attended the exhibition. The quality of work was top notch, as you can expect from Harvard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N Judah Posted March 4, 2005 Share Posted March 4, 2005 It will end up on the Midtown website.I attended the exhibition. The quality of work was top notch, as you can expect from Harvard. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> N I C E ! I hope they put it up soon -- I really want to see it - no doubt they did a great job ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N Judah Posted June 26, 2005 Share Posted June 26, 2005 I just checked the midtown website and still no mention of the Harvard report. Does anyone know what happened?!?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston Retail Posted June 27, 2005 Share Posted June 27, 2005 its still in Harvards hands. Ill see if I can track it down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTAWACS Posted June 27, 2005 Share Posted June 27, 2005 Looks like Harvard has been reading this board.CVS, BW3, etc. No friends of Midtown.<{POST_SNAPBACK}>We all know big corporations such as these are nothing good for the community. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N Judah Posted July 2, 2005 Share Posted July 2, 2005 its still in Harvards hands. Ill see if I can track it down.<{POST_SNAPBACK}>Thanks - I appreciate it. Hopefully they'll put it on the midtown website like they originally planned -- so it'll be easy for everyone to find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N Judah Posted April 25, 2006 Share Posted April 25, 2006 Does anyone know what happened to this?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJones Posted April 25, 2006 Share Posted April 25, 2006 So midtown should go from a slum to Williamsburg overnight? Some people seem to have instant gratification problems . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbigtex56 Posted April 27, 2006 Share Posted April 27, 2006 Smets brought 12 students here recently for a tour because he's "intrigued" by Midtown's possibilities. Besides, the Downtown Management District and Greater Houston Partnership sponsored their five-day visit. I suppose it's too late to ask for our money back...? This inferiority complex from which Houston collectively suffers gets expensive. Hey, Smets! I'm intrigued by the possibility of suburban-style development in Harvard Yard. Care to pony up a few bucks so I and 12 of my closest friends can take a little tour? Afterward we'll, uh, get back to you... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texas911 Posted April 27, 2006 Share Posted April 27, 2006 What a waste. All they had to do was sponsor a UH/Rice project for the area. Anyway, its no secret what will do well in midtown, its just convincing the quick buck developers to buy into it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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