New urban shout out to Bastrop TX (Houston, Austin: apartments, homes)

[Watchful]

It has been six years since we lived in Texas, but I was interested to see this article about traditional street grid development strategies for growth in Bastrop TX.

https://www.cnu.org/publicsquare/201...-grid-and-code

[TexasHorseLady]

I'm a bit concerned because small towns (which Bastrop was not very long ago at all before it got discovered, poor thing) are not the same as cities and "pile everyone on top of each other" simply destroys regardless of what urbanists think. The article sounds positive, but I'm going to have to dig deeper on this one to see if they really put sufficient protections in place to avoid that or if it's left vulnerable to the human locusts.

[LiveUrban]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

I'm a bit concerned because small towns (which Bastrop was not very long ago at all before it got discovered, poor thing) are not the same as cities and "pile everyone on top of each other" simply destroys regardless of what urbanists think. The article sounds positive, but I'm going to have to dig deeper on this one to see if they really put sufficient protections in place to avoid that or if it's left vulnerable to the human locusts.

Small towns can be walkable and dense. There's no reason why they can't be.

Think European-style villages and small towns.

[TexasHorseLady]

Originally Posted by LiveUrban

Small towns can be walkable and dense. There's no reason why they can't be.

Think European-style villages and small towns.

Unfortunately, that is almost never what we have here. In part because those grew naturally, rather than being built as subdivisions, based on the actual needs of the inhabitants rather than those of a planning committee or developer. Think Christopher Alexander.


And the LAST thing a small town should be is urban.

[Watchful]

If I'm not mistaken there are more walkable neighborhoods in Texas small towns than there are in Texas big cities. Back in the nineties we lived in a small town in Texas where my kids could walk to the piano teacher, to Scouts, to dance lessons, to junior high, to the movie theatre, to the dollar store, to the pharmacy, to the movie theatre, and to the grocery store.

After we left there we moved to Houston burbs and none of those things were true.

"New urban" is found much more in small towns than in big cities.

[Kthnry]

Originally Posted by Watchful

If I'm not mistaken there are more walkable neighborhoods in Texas small towns than there are in Texas big cities. Back in the nineties we lived in a small town in Texas where my kids could walk to the piano teacher, to Scouts, to dance lessons, to junior high, to the movie theatre, to the dollar store, to the pharmacy, to the movie theatre, and to the grocery store.

After we left there we moved to Houston burbs and none of those things were true.

"New urban" is found much more in small towns than in big cities.

I agree. I lived in downtown Austin for several years. It was extremely urban but not particularly walkable in the sense that you could get a lot done on foot.

[El Chingaso]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

Unfortunately, that is almost never what we have here. In part because those grew naturally, rather than being built as subdivisions, based on the actual needs of the inhabitants rather than those of a planning committee or developer. Think Christopher Alexander.


And the LAST thing a small town should be is urban.

It’s never what we have here because of people (hypocrites) exactly like you. You profit and survive from selling new builds in far flung suburbs created by the EXACT attitudes you constantly display, while lamenting the very impact of that behavior.

There’s a huge difference in planning for growth and not damaging the character of a town, while allowing for sustainable growth - and being a “if we don’t build it, they won’t come” ostrich in the sand.

You didn’t even read the article, and chose to just hop on your soapbox and wag your forked tongue.

[Need4Camaro]

Originally Posted by El Chingaso

It’s never what we have here because of people (hypocrites) exactly like you. You profit and survive from selling new builds in far flung suburbs created by the EXACT attitudes you constantly display, while lamenting the very impact of that behavior.

There’s a huge difference in planning for growth and not damaging the character of a town, while allowing for sustainable growth - and being a “if we don’t build it, they won’t come” ostrich in the sand.

You didn’t even read the article, and chose to just hop on your soapbox and wag your forked tongue.

In her defense she can technically only sell whats on the market. It's not like she planned these developments. She still has to make a living regardless how she may feel about said development patterns. The Realtor is still very much the middle man in this approach.

[El Chingaso]

Originally Posted by Need4Camaro

In her defense she can technically only sell whats on the market. It's not like she planned these developments. She still has to make a living regardless how she may feel about said development patterns. The Realtor is still very much the middle man in this approach.

This is an incredibly flawed argument.

The point was that she did indeed have a hand in the “plan” for these developments by constantly railing against a real plan for growth. Thus, the flaming hypocrisy.

The next time you wonder why there’s no functional road system in Austin, why the environmental damage from thousands of idling cars is a reality, you can thank her.

[capcat]

Originally Posted by LiveUrban

Small towns can be walkable and dense. There's no reason why they can't be.

Think European-style villages and small towns.

They always have been. I grew up in an American small town and loved the freedom of walking to downtown. People lived in apartments above businesses, homes in surrounding blocks, etc. However, walkability wasn’t the same as I believe it is defined now. The places to walk to were largely those useful for daily living needs. There was even a dog who walked downtown to the market for bones every week, and the market owner would put them in a bag for him. Then, he’d walk back home carrying the unopened bag in his mouth. Everyone knew this dog and what his errand was. Ha