David Crossley

Walkable urbanism in Houston

President, Houston Tomorrow, Jun 11, 09.

Tagged with houston, pedestrians, transit oriented development, walkability, transit corridors

The pressure on City of Houston elected officials to make it easier to move around the City on foot and by transit service is building. While we are still plagued with the myths that Houstonians do not want to walk and insist on driving to everything, public opinion has resoundingly moved toward a desire to improve transit and walkability across the Houston region.

A four-year effort to determine how the City should respond to the advent soon of 68 light rail transit station neighborhoods has brought forth new development rules and incentives for consideration by elected officials.

The political process of getting those new ordinances to City Council and made into law begins today, when proposed changes and additions to ordinances will come before the Planning Commission at 2:30 on Thursday, June 11 in Council Chambers in City Hall. This is a public meeting and citizens are expected to speak up before the proposals move on to a City Council committee on June 22 and then to Council consideration in July, although emails and letters to your council member will be effective at any point in this process.

The fundamental problem now is that the urban form of development - what I call “walkable urbanism” - is illegal everywhere in the City except in the Central Business District. The stated purpose of the Urban Corridor Planning Initiative is to “encourage an urban environment that improves pedestrian mobility, supports METRO’s light rail investment, and helps accommodate the City’s anticipated growth.”

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This is extremely complicated stuff, but in general I believe that this is an important step forward, and it is a step in the right direction. Fast progress must be made to fix our cumbersome system of codes to allow the market to supply significant transit-oriented development and redevelopment in the City.

Full story: “Houston’s move toward walkable urbanism”
Source: The List, Houston Chronicle, June 11, 2009

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Comments

.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) said:

Hi David,

Keep up the good work! I have come to feel that walkability is extremely important for my well being and, I assume, this is generally true. When I look at Houston, I see an environment that is harmful to both my physical and mental condition. Is there a solution in my lifetime??

Posted on Jun 16, 09 at 8:39 am

.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) said:

Light rail transit and high density populations go hand in hand. You cannot have one without the other.

When all the NIMBY’s want to stop a proposed high rise, that would actually use the transit system, it is boycotted, and approved permits are pulled.

Who is going to invest in building high density living when the rug can be pulled out from underneath them at anytime?

Posted on Jun 30, 09 at 7:55 am

.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) said:

I livein The Woodlands. If a rail system extended up there and made sense for me to use, I would save wear and tear on my car and lots of gas.
I will not, get up at 4am to ride a bus for 2 hours to get to my office. I will not ride a bus for another 2 plus hours to get home after 7pm.
Make a mass transit system that is time effective and cost effective, and you won’t have to convince people to ride it. They will ride it. Dallas loves their train system, but it extends out to the Frisco / Allen area and serves them as well. My friends up there use it for work, and to go to downtown events.
Houston can’t seem to figure it out.

Posted on Jul 01, 09 at 1:50 pm

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