111486 Posted November 13, 2004 Share Posted November 13, 2004 Midtown, Downtown. West University, Montrose, Heights, Bellaire, Uptown, Rice Military, River Oaks, and Memorial are just a few of Houston's urban neighborhoods. If you live in any of these neighborhoods, do you find them walkable neighborhoods that have eveything a resident may need. For example I live in Bellaire. There is no way that I will walk anywhere in this neighborhood because it is like a suburb inside the core of a city. When I exit my house I have a long way to walk until I get to the business and retail areas in my neighborhood because I am trapped in by the long streets filled with single family homes. My brother recently moved into downtown, he finds himself driving to the Kroger in Montrose because of the lack of grocery stores in the area. He would go to Fiesta in Midtown, but he does not trust it. If I had to pick the most urban neighborhood in Houston, I would pick West University. Everything you need can be found north or south of 59 on Kirby Drive from grocery stores, coffee shops, retail at the Village Arcade, and everything in between. There is also a mix of different housing developments in the area to choose from.Do you find the neighborhood you live in the ideal urban neighborhood in this city, if not which one(s) do you choose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmancuso Posted November 13, 2004 Share Posted November 13, 2004 apart from downtown, parts of the heights (near heights blvd), the village and parts of montrose, houston really has no true walkable urban areas. i live in uptown and i find it anything but urban. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
111486 Posted November 13, 2004 Author Share Posted November 13, 2004 I'm still surprised downtown does not have a grocery store yet. An urban Target, which are popping up around the country, would be great for downtown. I can't even think of the closest retail, as in clothing, near downtown. Probably the Village Acade or River Oaks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbigtex56 Posted November 13, 2004 Share Posted November 13, 2004 Let's define 'urban'.As someone who grew in a rural area, I suppose my idea of 'urban' is probably different than someone who grew up in a suburb. Where I grew up, people walked or biked, for long distances, and no one thought twice about it; maybe they felt like walking down scenic country roads. And the same was true when I moved to an urban environment; walking distance wasn't a problem. I've walked through unfashionable areas in various cities, and seen some wonderful things. You keep your eyes open, you learn not to be stupid.So my idea of 'urban' is probably different than someone who's negotiating freeways and looking for parking spots; but that's often the case in Houston, and it's as defensibly urban as any city. So what's urban, again?I think urban is as much a state of mind as a physical locale. I think it's having confidence in dealing with whomever you encounter, and a willingness to do so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted November 13, 2004 Share Posted November 13, 2004 There aren't many "walkable" areas of town. But believe it or not, the Gulfton area (at least my section) is quite walkable. I live in a relative oasis within this area and I think it gets a bad rap. I'm able to walk to one of two convience stores, to the market, to a few fast food areas, and get most of what needs to be done within a few minutes walk. it's not built up and pretty as some of the newer and praised areas of town, but Urban.Ricco Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
20sGirl Posted November 13, 2004 Share Posted November 13, 2004 I'd be afraid to walk in my neighborhood. 1. Because I'm a woman and I'd be the only one walking in my neighborhood. I think it would be different if I lived in a bustling area full of people. 2. The crazy hillbilly drivers. In the last week, I've seen two people almost get run over because somebody in a car was in too much of a hurry to stop and look around. You have to have a death wish to walk in this neighborhood.When I worked downtown, I really used to enjoy my lunchtime walks around the city. You see so much when you get out there and I really miss it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted November 13, 2004 Share Posted November 13, 2004 and what section of town is that at, 20's? Ricco Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssullivan Posted November 14, 2004 Share Posted November 14, 2004 My brother recently moved into downtown, he finds himself driving to the Kroger in Montrose because of the lack of grocery stores in the area. He would go to Fiesta in Midtown, but he does not trust it.The Randall's in Midtown is very nice and much closer to downtown. And it doesn't have the "ewww" factor the Midtown Fiesta does. I think it's a lot nicer than Disco Kroger in Montrose.I can't even think of the closest retail, as in clothing, near downtown. Probably the Village Acade or River Oaks.Foley's on Main St., and a few stores in Houston Center, all sell clothing. It's not the Galleria, but clothing is available downtown. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
111486 Posted November 14, 2004 Author Share Posted November 14, 2004 Uptown Park was a perfect opportunity to make the Uptown neighborhood slightly more urban. Just think about if all those shops were pulled to the street somewhere. Plus, aren't some of the condo highrises in Uptown private access? Not very urban in my eyes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UrbaNerd Posted November 14, 2004 Share Posted November 14, 2004 IMO, the most urban neighborhoods in Hou are Rice VIllage,and the med center. Downtown is becoming more urban, though. TMC would be a bit better if it had more shops, though, but a few opf the new buildings may have them (the Hermann building) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Montrose1100 Posted November 14, 2004 Share Posted November 14, 2004 All of Houston's Neighborhoods are "Urban" by definition of the Census and Webster's... Because a High density populated area (so many per square mile) pretty much makes up (Almost) all of the Neighborhoods, and surrounding suburbs... But as far as "Urban" (By definition of dbtex) I think everything West of 45, South of 610, are pretty much urban... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted November 14, 2004 Share Posted November 14, 2004 From my understanding, the Westpark Gulfton area has the highest population density in the city, and the area is quite "walkable" in my opinion. While The medical center has alot of ground level retail, most of the population there is heavily transient. Ricco Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpaceCity Posted November 15, 2004 Share Posted November 15, 2004 apart from downtown, parts of the heights (near heights blvd), the village and parts of montrose, houston really has no true walkable urban areas. i live in uptown and i find it anything but urban.<{POST_SNAPBACK}>I agree. Its more like a suburban office park. When compared to cities like Boston, Uptown is very suburban. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
20sGirl Posted November 15, 2004 Share Posted November 15, 2004 and what section of town is that at, 20's? Ricco <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Spring branch area. Typical burbs- you can go weeks without seeing a soul. When I leave Houston in '06, I'm definitely going to look for a more urban area to live in. I just can't take the burbs anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeightsGuy Posted November 15, 2004 Share Posted November 15, 2004 I have lived in both Montrose and West U, so I see the arguments favoring each, but I think if you were to take a map of Houston, draw a line from downtown to the med center, to the galleria and back again, you have roughly a triangle that encompasses maybe not the most urban, but as close as you can get without living in what's termed a walking city here.Within that triangle, you may not be walking distance to everything, but no more than a $10 cab ride to just about anything you would ever need, which is really no different than if you're living in Manhattan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danes75 Posted December 27, 2004 Share Posted December 27, 2004 I live in Garden Oaks, and its pretty walkable. Its a strange area, actually. N. Shepherd and Ella (which are the major N/S thoroughfares) are GHETTO, but the residential areas in between are all fairly nice, and there's a lot of development going on.I don't particularly think any place that favors traffic over pedestrians is going to become "urban", and every "street" in uptown is like a 10 lane highway. The first time I visited Houston I decided to walk around the area. The sidewalks are all unlevel and dangerous, and half the crosswalk signs either don't ever change or face the wrong direction. Running the metrorail to the stadium was the worst idea in the world. Sure, it runs by the museums and the park, but how many people that live downtown or by the stadium ACTUALLY go to the MFA more than once or twice a year? It should have gone from downtown, through uptown, and out west & northwest to suburbia. That would have decreased auto traffic and increased foot traffic.Speaking of which, Uptown is aka the Harris County Improvement District #1. Does anyone know how to get something like this? I did some research and it seems that the Garden Oaks/Oak Forest area isn't covered by one, but there is one to the West (Near Northwest Management District) and I BELIEVE to the East (Greater Greenspoint Management District of Harris County). They are special "subsections" of the State of Texas and require certain revenues and things, but who is responsible for setting them up, and can you still create them or were they just one time developments? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt16 Posted December 27, 2004 Share Posted December 27, 2004 : of, relating to, characteristic of, or constituting a city http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book...ionary&va=urbanAccording to Webster. Not once does it mention walkable. Sometimes I think a lot of the people on this board don't really know what they're asking for. Have you lived in "urban" areas. I lived in NYC and couldn't wait to get back. Give me my space and keep it cheap. One 40 minute trip on a subway in search of an ironing board would change a lot of minds here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danes75 Posted December 27, 2004 Share Posted December 27, 2004 That's cute and all... quoting the dictionary. But then a few years ago a faggot was just a bunch of wood according to M-W.I feel most people here know what is meant when someone says "urban". Boston, Chicago.... cities that are pedestrian friendly where amenities are accessible via something other than a miniature schoolbus with leather interior. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmancuso Posted December 27, 2004 Share Posted December 27, 2004 Spring branch area. Typical burbs- you can go weeks without seeing a soul.When I leave Houston in '06, I'm definitely going to look for a more urban area to live in. I just can't take the burbs anymore. where are you leaving to and why? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westguy Posted December 27, 2004 Share Posted December 27, 2004 I see people walking between Westchase and the HEB and Kohl's shopping center all the time. There's a street behind there that connects to a bunch of apartment complexes. When I started traveling on that street to avoid the major ones like Westheimer I noticed the shopping center was designed so that people who live behind it aren't just staring at the back of it. That was kind of a neat idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssullivan Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 I see people walking between Westchase and the HEB and Kohl's shopping center all the time. There's a street behind there that connects to a bunch of apartment complexes. When I started traveling on that street to avoid the major ones like Westheimer I noticed the shopping center was designed so that people who live behind it aren't just staring at the back of it. That was kind of a neat idea.When I lived in Westchase on Woodland Park Dr. I sometimes would walk down Meadowglen (the street you referred to) to the HEB or the opposite direction to Randall's. My biggest complaint about that is that when Royal Oaks was built and Meadowglen was extended behind where the Kohl's and HEB centers now are, no sidewalks were put in along Meadowglen by the developer. With all the construction in the area, it was usually a real pain to walk the half block from where Meadowglen used to dead end to Royal Oaks Dr. either in the street or in the mud and construction debris that lined the street. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
111486 Posted January 2, 2005 Author Share Posted January 2, 2005 IMO, the most urban neighborhoods in Hou are Rice VIllage,and the med center. <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I don't know about the Med Center. They have every little detail for the perfect urban neighborhood such as parks nearby, sidewalk cafes and retail, rail transit, and medical facilities, but they have a lack of housing.I agree with the Rice Village though, a short walk up University Boulevard can get you to the rail. The homes are pedestrian friendly with the garages in the back or on the side, close proximity to the recreation of Hermann Park and the medical facilities of the TMC, restaurants and retail in the Village Arcade and it is not filled with oversized parking lots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VicMan Posted June 21, 2005 Share Posted June 21, 2005 Braeswood is getting more "urban" as it got a new library and a revamped YMCA, therefore there are more neighborhood amenities.Even so, I wish Houston was more friendly for pedestrians! I see several areas which don't have sidewalks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.