Houston is invisible?

[pineda]

story from Houston Chronicle

"Really, what people are looking for is experience," Crossley said. "You're looking for some sort of persona for yourself. You can't do that in suburbs. You can only do it where there are lots of people closely packed. We don't really have those places in Houston."

HUH?

Really, David? Because I think that people choose to live in Houston because of the abundant jobs, affordable housing, low crime stats, good school systems, and mostly temperate climate being near the coast. But, then again, what do I know? I'm still looking for "some sort of persoooona" for myself.

[sevfiv]

Research shows that young professionals seek clean, attractive, safe cities with ample green space that provide the amenities they want.

These preferences vary: Restaurants and nightclubs are important to some while others are more interested in bike trails or a lively music scene.

sooo what they're saying is that people want...varied things?

gee, glad they shell out $ to find out these profound things...

on the other hand, i agree with klineberg:

"Houston is invisible," said Stephen Klineberg, the Rice University sociology professor who directs the annual Houston Area Survey of local attitudes and demographic traits. "People don't know about Houston. They don't think of Houston."

houston is invisible in some ways...what comes to mind are the people that think there's nothing to do or see here...

[MidtownCoog]

Being invisible is both a curse and a blessing.

Glad to know the city leaders are working on this. I hope they consult with Carol Alvarado.

What we need is a new slogan! Yea. Something like Living Large!

That's the ticket!

[713 To 214]

Houston appears neither among the 20 cities young college-educated workers would most likely consider as a home, nor among the 20 where they'd least like to live. New York and Los Angeles, by contrast, appear high on both lists, indicating people have strong opinions about the nation's two largest cities.

That article is very telling. I'm glad that city representatives are making a move to address Houston's shortcomings, in this regard.

To encourage more young workers to give Houston a shot, the city's leaders are working on several fronts to raise and improve Houston's national profile, with an emphasis on qualities that appeal to young professionals.

This is particularly evident in green space initiatives such as a planned downtown urban park and the Sabine-to-Bagby Promenade that opened June 10 along Buffalo Bayou.

But, here's the problem for Houston:

While the CEOs for Cities survey doesn't specifically ask questions about urban design, other research shows that young professionals want lively urban places where they can walk and mingle with others, Crossley said.

"Really, what people are looking for is experience," Crossley said. "You're looking for some sort of persona for yourself. You can't do that in suburbs. You can only do it where there are lots of people closely packed. We don't really have those places in Houston."

What we need is a new slogan! Yea. Something like Living Large!

That's the ticket!

Dallas' Convention & Visitor's Bureau already has a similar slogan: "Live Large Think Big"

However, I think you're on the right track. I'm not sure what the slogan is for the Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau.

[MidtownCoog]

You can only do it where there are lots of people closely packed.

That is simply one man's opinion with zero science to support it and no example of what "closely packed" means.

This city is paced cheek-to-cheek inside the loop.

But not everyone, young "professionals" included, want to live like a cat in a cage "closely packed" together.

LA makes the list without "closely packed" places.

Living Large was a dig at Dallas. Sorry. I could not resit.

The only slogan Houston needs is: Houston - Be Yourself!

[713 To 214]

That is simply one man's opinion with zero science to support it and no example of what "closely packed" means.

This city is paced cheek-to-cheek inside the loop.

But not everyone, young "professionals" included, want to live like a cat in a cage "closely packed" together.

LA makes the list without "closely packed" places.

Living Large was a dig at Dallas. Sorry. I could not resit.

The only slogan Houston needs is: Houston - Be Yourself!

I think what was meant by "closely packed" was "close-knit" "walkable" areas where pedestrian activity is encouraged over vehicular activity. Neighborhoods where sidewalks are wider than 6 feet, and buildings aren't setback 20 feet from the curb with a moat of parking lots surrounding them. Neighborhoods where people can truly work, live, and play, within a 3-5 mile radius, and have some type of mass transit, running frequently, to take them to those places.

Believe it or not, young professionals (people in general for that matter) are increasingly placing a higher premium on their quality of life as opposed to amount of salary. That quality of life is diminished when one has to spend hours driving to/from the suburbs to commute to/from work. . .more time driving from home to the grocery store. . .more time driving to the local bar, restaurant, art gallery/museum, etc.

[Kirzania]

Believe it or not, young professionals (people in general for that matter) are increasingly placing a higher premium on their quality of life as opposed to amount of salary. That quality of life is diminished when one has to spend hours driving to/from the suburbs to commute to/from work. . .more time driving from home to the grocery store. . .more time driving to the local bar, restaurant, art gallery/museum, etc.

It's true. If I can't get off at work at 5, stop by the grocery store and the bank, and be home in time for the 6 o'clock raid in Molten Core, then forget it.

[MidtownCoog]

Who said they have to live in the Burbs?

[713 To 214]

I encourage all posters to read the following study, which forms the basis for this thread. It is linked here.

Also, check out the CEO For Cities Website for more interesting information.

[TheNiche]

I encourage all posters to read the following study, which forms the basis for this thread. It is linked here.

Also, check out the CEO For Cities Website for more interesting information.

The study is far from a reliable indicator of behavior.

On page 3, it shows the breakdown of people that responded that they would "definitely or probably" consider living in one of the places mentioned. To give an indication of the flexibility of people's willingness to consider different types of places, if you bear in mind that 1,000 people were sampled and that the sum of all "definitely or probably" responses among all of the options given equals 3,590, it is easy to get the sense that people are generally flexible as to where they live. I would be accurate if I were to turn this around and state that "the average respondent indicated that they would "definitely or probably" consider living in 3.59 of the seven geographic options presented to them."

This question also addressed where people would consider living and did not touch on affordability issues...even downtown Houston is expensive for young professionals (especially those trying to pay down student loans)...and compared with many other cities in the U.S., we're still considered cheap. Affordability is a CRITICAL

Many of the slides that they presented were just fluff...especially the last several slides. It is also clear that they had administered a fairly legnthy questionaire, but only utilized responses from a few questions. I'd be much more impressed if they had presented all of the responses to all of the questions that they'd asked. For instance, I'd have liked to have seen the locational preferences cross-tabulated by Region. Judging from the results shown on Page 4 and my basic knowledge of regional demography, I'll bet that respondents from the South had significantly different preferences than respondents from other areas.

From all the undertones and less-than-subtle rhetoric that I was picking up on, it seems to me that their mission is to convince the political leaders and stakeholders within fairly large metropolitan areas that they need to embrace new urbanism in order to attract the best and brightest. They make a good presentation, but this is nothing more than an architectural advocacy group.

[Gary]

I think some aren't taking into acount that there may be a whole lot of people that enjoy single family home life. This day and age Houston seems to be increasingly vilified for being dominated by single family homes. Why is that? Why does the quality of life automatically go down when you have to drive to the store to get groceries?

This article is obviously addressing young proffessionals, so what happens when they start popping out babies? They move to the burbs. The subburbs offer things that the inner cities can't, just as the inner cities offer things that the suburbs can't.

I can understand young professionals wanting to be in the mix of it all, with walkable areas etc, but there are millions of people in our city that don't want that.

Having a more urban Houston is great, but I grow tired of the constant smashing it recieves from so called proffesionals in urbanity.

I have grown to love all of Houstons little quirks, and i have grown to see the positives of this fair city, far outweigh it's negatives. The strange thing is that with the constant ridicule she (Houston) recieves, she pounds out the biggest housing boom in her history. Not bad for a city that's the armpit of the state.

[sevfiv]

I think some aren't taking into acount that there may be a whole lot of people that enjoy single family home life. This day and age Houston seems to be increasingly vilified for being dominated by single family homes. Why is that? Why does the quality of life automatically go down when you have to drive to the store to get groceries?

people can opine and forecast about this day in and day out, and it will always be just that - opinions and predictions - some which may be pan out to be true in houston, some not.

yankelovich is a marketing firm - they are trying to sell things (in this case, cities) to people who they think might listen to what they publish from some poll of "hip urban and young professionals."

in reality, a city with a population like houston is going to have every single kind of person with countless preferences, different households, with a gazillion different characteristics. and after all, yankelovich is credited with creating the new york times and time magazine poll (and the terms baby boomer and generation gap).

of course some people like (or need?) parameters in which to live. it's almost like a pseudo-simplification. let's really simplify it, and use midtown coog's phrase of "Houston - be yourself"

everything else will fall into place - hell, it has until now!

[dalparadise]

yankelovich is a marketing firm

I didn't believe this guy when he was singing "Eat It" and all those other silly comedy parodies many years ago, and I don't believe him now.

[RedScare]

people can opine and forecast about this day in and day out, and it will always be just that - opinions and predictions - some which may be pan out to be true in houston, some not.

I've been reading of people making bold predictions for 10 years now, and I find most of it to fall far short of reality. Back in the 90s, all the talk was of the "New Economy". Remember that? That was the belief that a company did not have to have assets to be valuable. It also said that companies that lost money were nonetheless valuable. Well, the tech bubble proved that there was no "New Economy". You still had to be profitable to be considered valuable.

Now, the new rage is that information is king. No one builds anything anymore. We just deal in information. And, young hip kids are the great new thing. And, they work on their terms, and if they don't like your city, you are doomed to Detroitness. Richard Florida calls them the "Creative Class".

Well, the only thing I see here is someone selling us a bill of goods. None of the fastest growing cities seem to be "Creative Class" cities. And the economy does not seem to be so torrid that young people can dictate where they work and how.

Now, quality of life does finally seem to be considered important, prompting even Houston officials to try to clean things up a bit. But, the United States as a whole seems to be as materialistic as ever. And that means that the majority of kids are going where the jobs are, even though 64% of them may WISH they could choose their city first. This is not to say that cities don't need to clean up their act. They do. But, as I've said before, cities that take care of the citizens that ALREADY live there, will do a good job attracting new talent as well. Houston should do right by US. The kids will find us sooner or later.

[escapee]

I didn't believe this guy when he was singing "Eat It" and all those other silly comedy parodies many years ago, and I don't believe him now.

Weird, Al.

[largeTEXAS]

I agree that this article does make a lot of assumptions. One big one is the assumption that the "Creative Class" even helps a city. Houston

[TheNiche]

As residents here we know where to go to find a good burger or a casual healthy meal. What's great about Houston is that often these items are found in little hidden places like Rudyards or Daily Review. What's we lack is a consistent landscape of these places.

Consistency doesn't really do it with me. I kind of like the process of trying out dozens of hole-in-the-wall restaurants and mom-and-pops, delighting in the discovery of a diamond in the rough. I kind of think that a consistent landscape would detract from the serendipity.

Take Sandy's, out on the Katy Frwy., for instance...you'd never guess that such a gem would be where it is...or for that matter, exist in the scale that it does. It is completely out of the ordinary, and that's a big part of what makes it special.

For that matter, there's the great thai place tucked away in the Tlaquepaque Mercado on Telephone at Lockwood...as unique as it is, nobody would ever guess that it'd be there...its a family business and the seven-year-old son/grandson works the cash register...and then I just came upon it yesterday! I'm about to close on a home that is within walking distance of it and I didn't even know it was there.

And yes, you have to travel all over the place to find these gems, but I kind of like that process too. Who wants to have so many options near them that they never need to go outside of their neighborhood (or for that matter that they only ever need to go to one centralized shopping district)? In my view, that's just another strand of isolationism.

Along this line of thought, Houston's many neighborhoods (even in many suburban areas) each seem to have their own unique characters...we're kind of like one big organic amalgamation of decentralized cities...each with its own history and subculture. It is an acquired taste and is probably something that very few outsiders will be able to grasp in a few short visits, but I like that aspect of our being.

[largeTEXAS]

Consistency doesn't really do it with me. I kind of like the process of trying out dozens of hole-in-the-wall restaurants and mom-and-pops, delighting in the discovery of a diamond in the rough. I kind of think that a consistent landscape would detract from the serendipity.

Yes, but that results in Houston life = life in a car. I agree those hidden places (love the East End Thai restaurant!) are kind of what make a city. Houston is not unique in having some of its best restaurants/attractions in remote places or hidden in the neighborhood. Unfortunatley there is such a lack of connectivity here that you have to spend so much time in a car just to get there.

Public transportation to me is the key. Otherwise Houston will always be a city where casual interaction is limited to grocery check out lines. Our steel cages so much define who we are it's sickening! That physical separation in my opinion helps make us obese, apathetic, and ignorant. One can simply cut off from the world and never interact with anyone outside their immediate circle. I for one can't stand driving unless I absolutely have to. There are many places I'd love to go for a meal but don't because it seems silly when there are options close by. If there were a good train system (the busses can be difficult, especially on the weekends or when it's raining) I would love venturing to these gems more often. Maybe I'm crazy and maybe Houston will always be a car-only culture, but I hope not. It would be great to at least have options.

[TheNiche]

Yes, but that results in Houston life = life in a car. I agree those hidden places (love the East End Thai restaurant!) are kind of what make a city. Houston is not unique in having some of its best restaurants/attractions in remote places or hidden in the neighborhood. Unfortunatley there is such a lack of connectivity here that you have to spend so much time in a car just to get there.

Public transportation to me is the key. Otherwise Houston will always be a city where casual interaction is limited to grocery check out lines. Our steel cages so much define who we are it's sickening! That physical separation in my opinion helps make us obese, apathetic, and ignorant. One can simply cut off from the world and never interact with anyone outside their immediate circle. I for one can't stand driving unless I absolutely have to. There are many places I'd love to go for a meal but don't because it seems silly when there are options close by. If there were a good train system (the busses can be difficult, especially on the weekends or when it's raining) I would love venturing to these gems more often. Maybe I'm crazy and maybe Houston will always be a car-only culture, but I hope not. It would be great to at least have options.

I guess this largely comes down to a matter of personal preference.

I've been known to drive home (Astrodome area) from work out near Kirkwood and I-10, meet up with my girlfriend, and then drive back out near Dairy-Ashford and Briar Forest to have dinner at Russian Bear or Yanti's Indonesian. We also will occaisionally drive to Galveston or San Leon for dinner. Unconstrained by the necessity to stick to a few transit corridors, we go where we like and are free to take the scenic way back or to run a few odds-and-ends kinds of errands along the way. Meanwhile, we talk and are able to spend the time together rather than in the midst of a crowd. I can't and wouldn't presume to speak for yourself, but for me, it works.

[KinkaidAlum]

Niche-

I think you might be missing the point. You can do what you just described in ANY American city. Getting in the car and driving to pick pumpkins in Metro West or grabbing a fresh lobster on the North Shore or clams on the South Shore or even driving an hour for Italian in Providence is easy.

But, I can also walk out of my door, down the stoops, and reach 20-30 restaurants withing 10 blocks. Or, I can hop on the T and reach Harvard Square (pubs and college bars), the North End (Italian), Back Bay (fine dining), Davis Square (new hipster spot), Kenmore Square (Fenway Park and beer joints), Brookline (international cuisine), Central Square (funky bistro area), Waterfront (seafood), and a host of other areas.

That's what is missing in Houston. The option to do either.

[Howard]

I have to agree especially if you are from somewhere else or travel you know it all too well. I am from Florida and have been here a year. I know of no hotspot where you can people watch catch an event go to a few clubs and live in that vicinty. The only place I have been that was remotely like what I enjoy was Kemah and its far from me as well as catering to kids mostly. There needs to be an adult Kemah thats what Houston needs among other things. I have a business here so thats why I moved but its not a hot bed of activity here. My son skateboards and as big as this city is there is no decent public skatepark. They have been given the land but no funding to build. Were I lived we had three and the town was much smaller. Memorial Park is the only place I have seen people enjoying themselves on a regular basis with any type activity. There is still something missing there as well like a cool place to socialize after or before those activites. To me Houston is quite invisible and disconnected from the rest of the city.

[Howard]

Howard:

Check these out and welcome. http://www.houstontx.gov/parks/SkateParks.html

Thanks!

Those are prefab parks. A skateboarder knows thats the worst stuff on earth.

These guys build REAL skateparks... The proposed park is on the list but this has been years in the making and still hasnt broken ground yet.

http://grindline.com/cgi-bin/view.pl

[TheNiche]

Niche-

I think you might be missing the point. You can do what you just described in ANY American city. Getting in the car and driving to pick pumpkins in Metro West or grabbing a fresh lobster on the North Shore or clams on the South Shore or even driving an hour for Italian in Providence is easy.

But, I can also walk out of my door, down the stoops, and reach 20-30 restaurants withing 10 blocks. Or, I can hop on the T and reach Harvard Square (pubs and college bars), the North End (Italian), Back Bay (fine dining), Davis Square (new hipster spot), Kenmore Square (Fenway Park and beer joints), Brookline (international cuisine), Central Square (funky bistro area), Waterfront (seafood), and a host of other areas.

That's what is missing in Houston. The option to do either.

Damn. I tried to post a really good response yesterday, but got kicked offline in the middle of trying to submit it.

To summarize, Houston doesn't have any of these things for very good reasons. We are limited by our relatively short history and a general lack of geographic features. Houston will never be Boston, and (unless its historic neighborhoods are flattened in a nuclear war) Boston will never be Houston. I'm personally happy the way things are...if you like Boston more, well then that's where you need to live. Everybody makes their choices.

[VelvetJ]

Damn. I tried to post a really good response yesterday, but got kicked offline in the middle of trying to submit it.

To summarize, Houston doesn't have any of these things for very good reasons. We are limited by our relatively short history and a general lack of geographic features. Houston will never be Boston, and (unless its historic neighborhoods are flattened in a nuclear war) Boston will never be Houston. I'm personally happy the way things are...if you like Boston more, well then that's where you need to live. Everybody makes their choices.

If I may add my little two cents, TheNiche I still think you have missed his point. Every person on this site knows Houstons history in terms of why we look the way we do and why many cities of the northeast look the way they do. I think what you and many other Houstonians must realize is no one is trying to turn Houston into a place like Boston. But there should at least be "Boston" type options in the city. If a Houstonian want to walk out of their door and be in walking distance of 30 restaurants, bars, stores, etc., within blocks, they should be able to if they so choose. That type of choice is EXTREMELY limited in this large city (The Post Midtown Development). That is one of the biggest things Houston has to tackle, the lack of choices it offers in everything from transportation to housing to entertainment.

I think Houston has to open it's mind and ears and HEAR what people are saying. There are so many great things in this city but it lacks in so many ways and when the areas where it lacks is mentioned, the messenger is attacked ( When the Essence Fest attendees complained about the city's mobility issues, people started to attack the attendees, though what they were saying was clearly the truth). Or when something is suggested to add to the city's character, many Houstonians seem to TRY to find every reason in the world why we shouldn't do it, including the every popular "Houston should just focus on being itself". For years one of the most popular things I would hear why Houston shouldn't have any type of rail system, besides cost, was Houston is not the northeast and it should not try to be the northeast, completely blocking out the benefits of rail. Like it was stated earlier Houston could use a jolt in culture to change the stronghold mentalities that I think keep us behind.

Again, I will break out with my slogan. "Great Cities Have Everything". At the core of that statement is OPTIONS. Houston should not be content with being just a business town. Houston should not be content mostly offering suburban styled living. Houston should not be content with being the largest city in Texas, yet being the least tourist friendly. Houston should not be content with having almost NO pedestrian areas or places to "people watch" all in the name of "Houston should just be itself". Don't forget, we became content with being JUST a oil town and got burned. We became content with not investing in rail like most other cities of the world, and it has come back to haunt us more than once. Houston can learn and grow. We just have to learn to be proactive instead of reactive, add a little pep in our step, and try to understand WHY it is important for a city our size to offer options.

[Howard]

If I may add my little two cents, TheNiche I still think you have missed his point. Every person on this site knows Houstons history in terms of why we look the way we do and why many cities of the northeast look the way they do. I think what you and many other Houstonians must realize is no one is trying to turn Houston into a place like Boston. But there should at least be "Boston" type options in the city. If a Houstonian want to walk out of their door and be in walking distance of 30 restaurants, bars, stores, etc., within blocks, they should be able to if they so choose. That type of choice is EXTREMELY limited in this large city (The Post Midtown Development). That is one of the biggest things Houston has to tackle, the lack of choices it offers in everything from transportation to housing to entertainment.

I think Houston has to open it's mind and ears and HEAR what people are saying. There are so many great things in this city but it lacks in so many ways and when the areas where it lacks is mentioned, the messenger is attacked ( When the Essence Fest attendees complained about the city's mobility issues, people started to attack the attendees, though what they were saying was clearly the truth). Or when something is suggested to add to the city's character, many Houstonians seem to TRY to find every reason in the world why we shouldn't do it, including the every popular "Houston should just focus on being itself". For years one of the most popular things I would hear why Houston shouldn't have any type of rail system, besides cost, was Houston is not the northeast and it should not try to be the northeast, completely blocking out the benefits of rail. Like it was stated earlier Houston could use a jolt in culture to change the stronghold mentalities that I think keep us behind.

Again, I will break out with my slogan. "Great Cities Have Everything". At the core of that statement is OPTIONS. Houston should not be content with being just a business town. Houston should not be content mostly offering suburban styled living. Houston should not be content with being the largest city in Texas, yet being the least tourist friendly. Houston should not be content with having almost NO pedestrian areas or places to "people watch" all in the name of "Houston should just be itself". Don't forget, we became content with being JUST a oil town and got burned. We became content with not investing in rail like most other cities of the world, and it has come back to haunt us more than once. Houston can learn and grow. We just have to learn to be proactive instead of reactive, add a little pep in our step, and try to understand WHY it is important for a city our size to offer options.

Well put VelvetJ I wish I could has said it so well...

[TheNiche]

If I may add my little two cents, TheNiche I still think you have missed his point. Every person on this site knows Houstons history in terms of why we look the way we do and why many cities of the northeast look the way they do. I think what you and many other Houstonians must realize is no one is trying to turn Houston into a place like Boston. But there should at least be "Boston" type options in the city. If a Houstonian want to walk out of their door and be in walking distance of 30 restaurants, bars, stores, etc., within blocks, they should be able to if they so choose. That type of choice is EXTREMELY limited in this large city (The Post Midtown Development). That is one of the biggest things Houston has to tackle, the lack of choices it offers in everything from transportation to housing to entertainment.

I think Houston has to open it's mind and ears and HEAR what people are saying. There are so many great things in this city but it lacks in so many ways and when the areas where it lacks is mentioned, the messenger is attacked ( When the Essence Fest attendees complained about the city's mobility issues, people started to attack the attendees, though what they were saying was clearly the truth). Or when something is suggested to add to the city's character, many Houstonians seem to TRY to find every reason in the world why we shouldn't do it, including the every popular "Houston should just focus on being itself". For years one of the most popular things I would hear why Houston shouldn't have any type of rail system, besides cost, was Houston is not the northeast and it should not try to be the northeast, completely blocking out the benefits of rail. Like it was stated earlier Houston could use a jolt in culture to change the stronghold mentalities that I think keep us behind.

Again, I will break out with my slogan. "Great Cities Have Everything". At the core of that statement is OPTIONS. Houston should not be content with being just a business town. Houston should not be content mostly offering suburban styled living. Houston should not be content with being the largest city in Texas, yet being the least tourist friendly. Houston should not be content with having almost NO pedestrian areas or places to "people watch" all in the name of "Houston should just be itself". Don't forget, we became content with being JUST a oil town and got burned. We became content with not investing in rail like most other cities of the world, and it has come back to haunt us more than once. Houston can learn and grow. We just have to learn to be proactive instead of reactive, add a little pep in our step, and try to understand WHY it is important for a city our size to offer options.

I think that there is an important question that must be asked with respect to what you might consider "great cities". Do the existence of lifestyle options make a city great or does the preexisting greatness of a city ultimately give rise to better lifestyle options? Take SF or NYC as examples. They are each old cities with relatively dense clusters of people...they are dense because they were substantially built in days when transportation options were fundamentally limited. Houston's experience within that same era was very limited, and then we existed up until the 20th century as more a town than a city. Now, NYC or SF are already set up in such a way that they can easily accomodate a diverse array of lifestyle options. Individuals within Houston, on the contrary, just about have to build up an adequate amount of population density in order to support options...and placing those lifestyle options on the ground preemptively may only have the effect of raising land values to the level at which the pace of new development is severely curtailed. So what I am criticizing, at the most fundamental level, is that you propose putting the cart (options) before the horse (market support and "greatness").

A repeating theme in your critique also seems to be that "Houston" acts like a decisive individual, rather than as a collective group of many millions of residents and non-resident stakeholders. Along these lines, you must bear in mind that there was/is more to diversifying our economic base than just saying that "Houston" wants to--outside firms must agree to move here or individuals within Houston must create a fair number of large non-energy corporations and supportive firms around them. Likewise, there is more to it than simply proclaiming as a single individual within the context of millions that "Houston" should have "people watching" places and pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods...for that matter it will take more than just 100% of individuals saying it. It will take decades for enough numbers of individual actors within Houston to be able to actually build the critical population density necessary to make your wish a reality on a scale substantial enough to be effective in bringing about your goal.

The addage "Houston, be yourself" shall forever be appropriate. The interest in such environments, as exhibited by an increasing number of individual stakeholders within Houston, has only begun to increase in my estimation. As this group of people grows and proves its interest through action, it will change the definition of Houston. The people, themselves, shall define the city, just as they have always done and will always do in the future. In the mean time, patience is a virtue.

[KinkaidAlum]

To summarize, Houston doesn't have any of these things for very good reasons. We are limited by our relatively short history and a general lack of geographic features. Houston will never be Boston, and (unless its historic neighborhoods are flattened in a nuclear war) Boston will never be Houston. I'm personally happy the way things are...if you like Boston more, well then that's where you need to live. Everybody makes their choices.

I am sorry, but there are no good reasons for Houston to lack pedestrian friendly neighborhoods, a regional rail plan for transportation, or even zoning. There are several cities that have just as short of a history as Houston or that grew largely over the same time period that are years ahead of Houston with regards to smart growth (Seattle, Portland, San Diego, Denver, and even Dallas pop into mind). I guess, those cities are somehow just not being themselves?

Please.

It's time to stop making excuses for Houston. Yes, it's true we are younger than Boston. Yes, it's true we grew during the time of the automobile, cheap gas, and new highways. Yes, it's true we aren't landlocked. But, I fail to see why any of these things prohibits Houston from offering ALL of her citizens a wide range of living options.

[TheNiche]

I am sorry, but there are no good reasons for Houston to lack pedestrian friendly neighborhoods, a regional rail plan for transportation, or even zoning. There are several cities that have just as short of a history as Houston or that grew largely over the same time period that are years ahead of Houston with regards to smart growth (Seattle, Portland, San Diego, Denver, and even Dallas pop into mind). I guess, those cities are somehow just not being themselves?

Please.

It's time to stop making excuses for Houston. Yes, it's true we are younger than Boston. Yes, it's true we grew during the time of the automobile, cheap gas, and new highways. Yes, it's true we aren't landlocked. But, I fail to see why any of these things prohibits Houston from offering ALL of her citizens a wide range of living options.

I'm not arguing against pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods. I'm just saying that their time has not yet come and that they'll be many decades in the making. The only thing we need in order to create them is lots more people and lots more jobs. In the mean time, have patience and try not to put the cart before the horse, lest you encourage such high speculative land prices as to discourage nearly all but the most high-end of projects.

Other cities opted for a more regulatory environment, and they face a higher cost of living as a result. The worst effects are felt by the poor, which many cities then subsidize heavily with general funds. They've paid dearly for their environs. You should also bear in mind that if the City of Houston becomes less developer-friendly, there's always unincoroporated rural land available as a perfectly good alternative; as decentralized as our employment base is, developers have no qualms about building beyond the reach of the regulators. That'd mean a less fully-developed tax base, which again hurts the City dwellers.

Be careful with your application of subsidy. Impatience can have unintended consequences.

[MidtownCoog]

I don't think anywhere the article said we don't have those things.

They said people don't know what we have.

An example being the quote from the Dallas boob, who now loves Houston, but always thougt it to be the "arm pit".

[713 To 214]

I'm not arguing against pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods. I'm just saying that their time has not yet come and that they'll be many decades in the making. The only thing we need in order to create them is lots more people and lots more jobs. In the mean time, have patience and try not to put the cart before the horse, lest you encourage such high speculative land prices as to discourage nearly all but the most high-end of projects.

Other cities opted for a more regulatory environment, and they face a higher cost of living as a result. The worst effects are felt by the poor, which many cities then subsidize heavily with general funds. They've paid dearly for their environs. You should also bear in mind that if the City of Houston becomes less developer-friendly, there's always unincoroporated rural land available as a perfectly good alternative; as decentralized as our employment base is, developers have no qualms about building beyond the reach of the regulators. That'd mean a less fully-developed tax base, which again hurts the City dwellers.

Be careful with your application of subsidy. Impatience can have unintended consequences.

. . . blah, blah, blah!