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I would gladly trade my ranch house for a condo of the same square footage and a big patio to grill plus a park and outdoor space for the kiddo.
That's what you think, until Sammy Subwoofer and his elephant-footed friends move in upstairs. And they own their unit, so you can't do a darn thing about it.
A city has to be sufficiently prepared for the disasters it can face, regardless of their frequency. How many bodies will it take before the city finally gets with the program?
We lose more people every month in traffic fatalities.
Can we not pretend that Houston has had horrible urban planning and infrastructure for several decades now?
I'll agree to this. Absolutely ridiculous that we have two reservoirs and most of our bayous feeding into the arterial drainage channel of Buffalo Bayou and it has barely been improved.
But the failure to make the drainage infrastructure improvements, despite the big drainage tax that sent billions into a blackhole, does not justify the agenda of urban densification. The article referenced in the OP even notes that it would have cost $600 million to create a reservoir to replace the wetlands and marshes lost due to development. That's a drop in the bucket to the tens of billions in economic development.
It matters what's best for the city, regardless of what people prefer. If people want to live in Houston, given the storms it can get, then sacrifices are going to have to be made.
And Dallas is already planning on taking away some of your white collar businesses and highly educated and paid office staff....who wants to deal with constant flooding?
And....it will still flood Texyn, even if you are residing in a high rise. And the city will still have to shut it down...ever try wading thru hip high water with your back pack to get to the office? Back stroke much?
The Dallas media has already starting to push the agenda, start your life over in North Texas.........good for them....if you don't cover your arse, someone else will eat your dinner.
Oh, and you will still need to find another place to flee when the high CAT level storms come thru....high rises can be a bad place to be during high winds....and with not much in the way of building codes or zoning in Houston....I highly doubt that many said High rises have CAT 5 windows....
I looked into several high priced high rises last year( 1 MIL+) in Houston.....several do not even have sprinkler systems for fires in place. And, their poor design as well as the use of labor which is often not of the skilled trades of which they should be( skilled masons and such) has contributed to costly "special assessments " for stucco/exterior cladding repair less than 5 yrs after being completed.
Not to mention the monthly maintenance fees, which are high regardless of the condo size/price point. Like 2.K a month for a unit that retails for 400k.
Soooo......
Here we go again, another urban planning "expert" with no proof of such experience. The mention of agenda 2021 by another poster and 2030 should really interest you...unless you are a paid shill, which have been moving into the Houston media market, especially since Harvey.
Just "what "the agenda has planned for you, and your age group and why.....should really be your concern...seriously, look into your pre-planned future. I won't be living it, but you should enjoy yourself, if your "thing" is total control of your life choices by elites well above you in economics and birth right. You will not be able to change their agendas..Communism will look good in comparison.
I have lived in several large cities, NYC, Paris and Hong Kong when it was under the British Crown....and I made great coin on all my real estate sales... but they were all well designed, planned and executed. I do not mind living in smaller quarters when I am never home and do not have children.
High Density housing tends to really only work in higher rent districts with all the high level services. Security, mantaince, on site repair services, etc. Realistic but strong HOA rules, with said HOA fully capitalized and funded for any emergency.
The nature of the human animal is if you have no personal rules and values, including healthy boundaries, people will take advantage of this...people need some space, and privacy it is a proven fact. And they need to have choices.
There is a lot of urban planning needed prior to a complete overhaul of Houston into a high density city such as NYC....and many of your wealthiest citizens will go elsewhere, since they most likely doubt the ability of city officials to do so.
Just look at Addicks and Barker reservoirs...I was told Addicks could fail in 2001 in certain storm situations....not just Hurricanes.
We lose more people every month in traffic fatalities.
And it's best that the toll is not added to with flood deaths that can be prevented with good urban design.
Quote:
Originally Posted by oceangaia
I'll agree to this. Absolutely ridiculous that we have two reservoirs and most of our bayous feeding into the arterial drainage channel of Buffalo Bayou and it has barely been improved.
But the failure to make the drainage infrastructure improvements, despite the big drainage tax that sent billions into a blackhole, does not justify the agenda of urban densification. The article referenced in the OP even notes that it would have cost $600 million to create a reservoir to replace the wetlands and marshes lost due to development. That's a drop in the bucket to the tens of billions in economic development.
Higher density still offers ample high ground, more streamlined transportation, and less subdivisions in a way of flood waters. Reservoirs are helpful, but they alone aren't enough to minimize the flood threat.
And Dallas is already planning on taking away some of your white collar businesses and highly educated and paid office staff....who wants to deal with constant flooding?
And....it will still flood Texyn, even if you are residing in a high rise. And the city will still have to shut it down...ever try wading thru hip high water with your back pack to get to the office? Back stroke much?
The Dallas media has already starting to push the agenda, start your life over in North Texas.........good for them....if you don't cover your arse, someone else will eat your dinner.
Oh, and you will still need to find another place to flee when the high CAT level storms come thru....high rises can be a bad place to be during high winds....and with not much in the way of building codes or zoning in Houston....I highly doubt that many said High rises have CAT 5 windows....
I looked into several high priced high rises last year( 1 MIL+) in Houston.....several do not even have sprinkler systems for fires in place. And, their poor design as well as the use of labor which is often not of the skilled trades of which they should be( skilled masons and such) has contributed to costly "special assessments " for stucco/exterior cladding repair less than 5 yrs after being completed.
Not to mention the monthly maintenance fees, which are high regardless of the condo size/price point. Like 2.K a month for a unit that retails for 400k.
Soooo......
Here we go again, another urban planning "expert" with no proof of such experience. The mention of agenda 2021 by another poster and 2030 should really interest you...unless you are a paid shill, which have been moving into the Houston media market, especially since Harvey.
Just "what "the agenda has planned for you, and your age group and why.....should really be your concern...seriously, look into your pre-planned future. I won't be living it, but you should enjoy yourself, if your "thing" is total control of your life choices by elites well above you in economics and birth right. You will not be able to change their agendas..Communism will look good in comparison.
I have lived in several large cities, NYC, Paris and Hong Kong when it was under the British Crown....and I made great coin on all my real estate sales... but they were all well designed, planned and executed. I do not mind living in smaller quarters when I am never home and do not have children.
High Density housing tends to really only work in higher rent districts with all the high level services. Security, mantaince, on site repair services, etc. Realistic but strong HOA rules, with said HOA fully capitalized and funded for any emergency.
The nature of the human animal is if you have no personal rules and values, including healthy boundaries, people will take advantage of this...people need some space, and privacy it is a proven fact. And they need to have choices.
There is a lot of urban planning needed prior to a complete overhaul of Houston into a high density city such as NYC....and many of your wealthiest citizens will go elsewhere, since they most likely doubt the ability of city officials to do so.
Just look at Addicks and Barker reservoirs...I was told Addicks could fail in 2001 in certain storm situations....not just Hurricanes.
It's funny to hear the poaching thing come from Dallas with things like "some companies don't have to be in Houston" because that's exactly what the DFW economy is. The majority of those corporations don't need to be in DFW, and could just as easily survive in a Kansas City, or St. Louis, or Oklahoma City. They're only there in DFW because it's cheap and has a good business climate. This is why the Katrina comparison in some DMN articles make zero sense because New Orleans/Louisiana was never the most business friendly state and companies were already moving to Houston and ATL from the NO. Let DFW continue to get overcrowded and you'll see some businesses look to Kansas City as the next "middle of America" hotspot (and KC is more centrally located). You already see an increase in domestic migration for the KC Metro. It is literally a mini-DFW with it's own Collin County (Johnson County, Kansas).
I think releasing and de-annexing a lot of thos far out unincorporated land and allow for new local city control could go a long way in making the Houston metro area better. The city already holds a huge geographical footprint on the area so it won't find itself in a Dallas like situation.
You forgot the MLK day flood of 2017 and the floods of June and July 2017. All of those floods caused residential flooding - the media didn't really report much of it though.
2017 had at least 4 storms that caused homes to flood. Also there was the 2015 Halloween floods that screwed over meyerland after memorial day
So 7 floods in the last three years. That's a problem.
And Dallas is already planning on taking away some of your white collar businesses and highly educated and paid office staff....who wants to deal with constant flooding?
The Dallas media has already starting to push the agenda, start your life over in North Texas.........good for them....if you don't cover your arse, someone else will eat your dinner.
Of course. Which is why if Houston wants to continue thriving, it will need to redevelop in a way that allows maximal efficiency given the climate and setting. And high density achieves that leagues above the current suburban sprawl.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Celiene61
And....it will still flood Texyn, even if you are residing in a high rise. And the city will still have to shut it down...ever try wading thru hip high water with your back pack to get to the office? Back stroke much?
Of course flooding will still be present, but the high-rises still have ample high ground on the upper floors. Better than rooftop exposure to elements and attic deathtraps many in SFHs had to resort to for escape in this storm.
No need to get to my office, the city would be closed!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Celiene61
Oh, and you will still need to find another place to flee when the high CAT level storms come thru....high rises can be a bad place to be during high winds....and with not much in the way of building codes or zoning in Houston....I highly doubt that many said High rises have CAT 5 windows....
So the issue isn't with the high-rise concept itself, but rather with the zoning/building codes of the city. Exactly what was covered for with my point about how design in the city should be more efficient if it's going to continue thriving in such storm prone lands.
A well-coded, design high-rise (i.e. reinforced steel, impact glass, etc) can survive a major hurricane with little issue. See: Miami, Hong Kong, etc.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Celiene61
I looked into several high priced high rises last year( 1 MIL+) in Houston.....several do not even have sprinkler systems for fires in place. And, their poor design as well as the use of labor which is often not of the skilled trades of which they should be( skilled masons and such) has contributed to costly "special assessments " for stucco/exterior cladding repair less than 5 yrs after being completed.
Not to mention the monthly maintenance fees, which are high regardless of the condo size/price point. Like 2.K a month for a unit that retails for 400k.
I have lived in several large cities, NYC, Paris and Hong Kong when it was under the British Crown....and I made great coin on all my real estate sales... but they were all well designed, planned and executed. I do not mind living in smaller quarters when I am never home and do not have children.
High Density housing tends to really only work in higher rent districts with all the high level services. Security, mantaince, on site repair services, etc. Realistic but strong HOA rules, with said HOA fully capitalized and funded for any emergency.
So you say it yourself, again: all these issues you bring up with high-rises are resolved with good planning.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Celiene61
There is a lot of urban planning needed prior to a complete overhaul of Houston into a high density city such as NYC....and many of your wealthiest citizens will go elsewhere, since they most likely doubt the ability of city officials to do so.
Then it better get started planning soon. The city officials likely won't be as incompetent about it anymore, this storm seems to have whipped everyone back to shape.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Celiene61
Soooo......
Here we go again, another urban planning "expert" with no proof of such experience. The mention of agenda 2021 by another poster and 2030 should really interest you...unless you are a paid shill, which have been moving into the Houston media market, especially since Harvey.
Just "what "the agenda has planned for you, and your age group and why.....should really be your concern...seriously, look into your pre-planned future. I won't be living it, but you should enjoy yourself, if your "thing" is total control of your life choices by elites well above you in economics and birth right. You will not be able to change their agendas..Communism will look good in comparison.
Frankly, the city could use a bit more of that "communist control" at this point.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Celiene61
The nature of the human animal is if you have no personal rules and values, including healthy boundaries, people will take advantage of this...people need some space, and privacy it is a proven fact. And they need to have choices.
Just look at Addicks and Barker reservoirs...I was told Addicks could fail in 2001 in certain storm situations....not just Hurricanes.
If they want to continue living in the city, then they already have a choice: refuse to take action, and suffer the resulting consequences from the next storm, or make the sacrifices now that can ensure them better protection in the long run.
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