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I'm not making anything up for one. I didn't post pics because it would be against the rules. I told you I only focused on the inner loop which is everything inside loop 610. While that could be new urbanist anywhere, the point is that it is walkable, and increases the density for the area which was H'ton's main point. It is you who took it to meaning like Houston was trying to build like Chicago when that wasn't his point.
Again, for the fourth time, look at the inner loop and most of the developments inside the loop. If you're acting like Houston's core is building this:
The corner of Kirby and Westheimer has two big parking lots, a strip mall, and one of those new urbanist style apartment buildings, sitting on top of parking.
The surrounding blocks seems thoroughly suburban in nature. It looks like regular postwar suburbia; pedestrian and transit hostile and thoroughly auto-oriented. It's semi-dense for a suburb, though. Looks like suburban LA to me.
I agree. Houston's urbanity for the most part is awful. Their townhomes barely feel urban...and again, why are the sidewalks so small there? It's like they are telling you not to walk around.
Compare Houston's townhome neighborhood to an Atlanta one. Both are pretty sprawling regions too.
Here's townhomes or apartments in Glenwood park. I don't know what they are. Townhomes
Anyone who has lived in Houston for any amount of time easily knows the difference between the Inner Loopers and the suburbanite Houstonians.
In terms of built form, the difference between the inner loop and outside the inner loop is modest. Both areas are characterized by relatively low densities, auto orientation and suburban design.
The main difference is the inner loop is "old suburbia" while the outer areas were built in more recent years.
In terms of built form, the difference between the inner loop and outside the inner loop is modest. Both areas are characterized by relatively low densities, auto orientation and suburban design.
The main difference is the inner loop is "old suburbia" while the outer areas were built in more recent years.
They love to tell everyone that the inner loop is super dense and walkable and urban and that the whole 95 square miles of it constitutes as 'Houston urban core'. That would imply that the whole loop is urban and walkable.
The problem with Houston is that there are literally like 0 urban neighborhoods around Downtown Houston. Even Midtown Houston at this current moment is a joke...
Even Atlanta and Dallas have urban neighborhoods that abut their downtown cores. Houston does not and it baffles me.
Standard...you mentioned that you didn't view the development map because you are looking for urbanity and not development.
Well, if you spend anytime looking how cities are developed you would noticed that they are built in LAYERS and increase their urbanity over time.
At the turn of the 20th century Houston had a close knit- somewhat dense downtown with street cars suburbs linked to downtown. That layer was replaced with a layer that most, even myself did not like. Well NOW there a new layer is being built. I would actually say that new layer started around 1998-1999.
The development map is important because a number of the new developments in Houston are concerned with density and urban issues. The city has invested time and money in steering the development of the city...our Mayor has successfully steered developers into building 3 urban parks in or touching downtown, they are a pedestrian rich convention district, there are a dozen or so new residential buildings going up in downtown and a new Retail district is being planned.
We are not New York...or Philadelphia...or San Francisco.
Houston was created in 1836. New York was created in 1624 and has a 212 year head start over Houston!
BUT I can honestly say that Houston is further along in its 178th Year of existence than than New York was when it was 178 years old, in 1802. Central Park wouldn't even be around for another 60+ years...and the New York in the early to mid 1800s was nothing impressive at all.
In fact, you can find many, many, descriptions of New York form that time. Most were from snobby Europeans eager to point out what is wrong with the New York City. They boastfully stated that New York will NEVER be as civilized of a city as the Londons' and Paris' of Europe.
In terms of built form, the difference between the inner loop and outside the inner loop is modest. Both areas are characterized by relatively low densities, auto orientation and suburban design.
The main difference is the inner loop is "old suburbia" while the outer areas were built in more recent years.
Standard, have you ever even been to Houston...or been on the last 10 years? The inner loop and outer loop are drastically different. I've lived on both sides....its not even close.
Here's the deal with density figures for Houston. Houston cam really be looked at as 2 different cities. What I call the city is the "inner-loop" which is stylistically, politically different and is WAY more dense. Inside the loop you will find most of the walkable parts of the city- downtown, midtown, museum district, the Village, the Universities (UH and Rice), etc.
Outside the loop is where you start to see incredibly less density, differnt political views on everything (including urbanity) and except for a few pockets ..there are less walkable areas outside the loop.
Anyone who has lived in Houston for any amount of time easily knows the difference between the Inner Loopers and the suburbanite Houstonians.
What is "WAY more dense"? You've got only 50,000 people in the whole city (less than 3% of the population) living at 20k+ densities. And that's at the census tract level! I am sorry but that's downright pathetic.
Standard, have you ever even been to Houston...or been on the last 10 years? The inner loop and outer loop are drastically different. I've lived on both sides....its not even close.
Can you show us a visual example (preferably via a Google street view link) of this inner loop density that you keep drumming up? I ask because I have seen this claim before, but in all my online research I have been unable to discover anything even approaching real walkable urbanity anywhere in Houston. So I am really curious. Thx
Can you show us a visual example (preferably via a Google street view link) of this inner loop density that you keep drumming up? I ask because I have seen this claim before, but in all my online research I have been unable to discover anything even approaching real walkable urbanity anywhere in Houston. So I am really curious. Thx
I asked for this already, a bunch of times, and I finally got an answer- they pointed me to an intersection with two parking lots, a strip mall, and one new urbanist-style apartment building.
It looked like a suburban intersection 20 miles outside of Washington DC, 25 miles outside of LA or 30 miles outside of NYC.
I mean, if you lived in Stamford, CT, or Morristown, NJ, or someplace like that, you would have FAR more urban environment and lifestyle than inner-city Houston, and these are suburbs way the heck out of the center city.
Well there is certainly high density in certain parts of Houston. Google maps really isn't much of a reliable source since alot of these projects has gotten off the ground. But I can asure you Houston has been rapidly densifing this past decade.
Well there is certainly high density in certain parts of Houston. Google maps really isn't much of a reliable source since alot of these projects has gotten off the ground. But I can asure you Houston has been rapidly densifing this past decade.
It hasn't been "rapidly densifying". It has been sprawling and "somewhat densifying", probably mostly because of higher household sizes in Mexican neighborhoods, and a good amount of suburban-style multifamily development.
But overall density is quite low and increased density doesn't necessarily lead to increased urbanity. Orange County, CA is much denser than in past decade, doesn't mean Orange County is suddenly urban and walkable; means more crowded and sprawled and higher household sizes.
And love the "disregard the Google maps" comment. Quite hilarious. Let's ignore the actual conditions on street level from August 2013. LOL. I'm sure Houston was completely demolished and rebuilt in the last few months.
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