Houston's Pedestrian Culture (Austin, Mercedes, Redwood: homes, neighborhoods, luxury)

[predatorprey]

Whats a pedestrian? =p

[theSUBlime]

Well see, there are pockets of pedestrian culture, but no, it doesn't come close to many of the cities you named. Houston is too big to fully facilitate this kind of lifestyle really. For example, if I have 4" x 4" piece of paper and you 10" x 10" piece, it's going to be easier for me to completely paint that piece of paper given the same tools. I could only imagine how many people we would need to reach San Francisco or Seattle's density!

Another thing that Houston lacks is food vendors ON the streets. You might see a taco stand on a parking lot, but not on the street. Speaking of parking lots, a parking lot here in Boston would be the equivalent of parking in someone's driveway in Houston and they're often BEHIND the store front.

I think that'd be kinda cool, but I will admit Houston is just not a city where people are used to be in close proximity to one another for long periods of time, whether it be the bus, restaurant or house.

Essentially, space is at a premium in these cities, especially because they lack it and until that time comes, that type of development is not going to naturally occur.

[hsw]

Real world has hot/humid/cold/slushy/rainy weather, smelly homeless, dog crap, street crime, etc

In alleged "pedestrian" towns like Manhattan, those with bucks choose to be driven around in a Mercedes, not walk/cab/subway

In SF, those w/bucks drive selves around town in a Mercedes; plenty of parking garages at offices and homes and valet parking in front of restaurants to avoid the many smelly homeless (and steep hills)

Best walking in world is prob in downtown BeverlyHills: great weather, clean sidewalks, hot chicks w/scant clothes; and can head to one's car parked in a nearby garage once one is bored of the walking nonsense

Much like public housing and public schools, most, even in NYC or SF or London, avoid public transit if they can afford to drive self in a private automobile

[Grunn]

Originally Posted by hsw

Best walking in world is prob in downtown BeverlyHills

You haven't been to many places have you?

[glorplaxy]

Originally Posted by theSUBlime

Another thing that Houston lacks is food vendors ON the streets. You might see a taco stand on a parking lot, but not on the street.

I've always thought it would be really cool to have some actual street food in Houston. I wonder how well Houstonians would receive the idea, though.

[worldlyman]

Originally Posted by glorplaxy

In many other large cities there seems to be a lot more of a pedestrian culture than in Houston. For example: San Francisco, NYC (obviously), Chicago, Boston, Seattle, Portland, Baltimore, New Orleans, many places in New Jersey, etc etc. Austin closes off 6th street every weekend to accommodate the foot traffic (no, I'm not Austin-centric). Asheville, NC even has a stronger pedestrian culture than us and they don't even have 80k residents. These cities have things that come along with this culture, like live performances and good clean fun in the streets and a sense that the place is actually alive. I don't really see this in Houston...ever. If it ever does happen it is pretty rare.

So why do you think Houston has almost a complete lack of a pedestrian culture?

Do you think Houston would be a better city with a stronger pedestrian culture?

What do you think would be the quickest and/or most efficient way of bringing a pedestrian culture to Houston?

Houston being a relatively new town just grew up so fast and spread out that it didn't appear to be like other cities. It's not dense like the other towns, regardless of population.

There is a pedestrianism in Houston but the great thing is, it's not "cultural". *roll the eyes*

There's always a fair amount of people walking around downtown, Rice Village, the Med Center, Kemah from Lighthouse District to Boardwalk, New Chinatown, Midtown area around W. Gray, Old Town Spring, Ranchester, Westchase at the Meadowglen axis...

It's not at some critical mass, as the older denser cities, at any one point but there are people walking in Houston in noticeable numbers.

I can sit at Coco's in Midtown munching their special Banana Fosters and see there is a nice smattering of people going to the Tasting Room wine bars, Front Porch pubs, sushi restaurants and walking the dogs up and down W. Gray.

I can go to Frank's Pizza in downtown Houston for lunch and there is always foot traffic around. Sure, Travis is not Market St. in San Fran...but definitely not a ghost town, even if there's an underground tunnel to soak up other foot traffic.

And at night especially weekends, it's quite busy with club and bar traffic. LOTS of people walking around. Crowded sidewalks on Main, Travis, Congress...etc. It's great to drink a Carlsberg at Flying Saucer outside watching the action.

And around the Plaza, it's quite stunning to see the heeled Theater District crowds as contrast to the hip hoppers and such. Apart from NY and SF, only in Houston!

I can take the rail to the Med Center...and there's lots of people walking around to the various pharmacies, City News, Starbucks, Texas Children's, Chinese cafes, Memorial Hermann and such up and down Fannin.

I can walk from my Mitsubishi parked in front of Chocolate Bar in Rice Village and see quite a bit of foot traffic on my way to Morningside to grab a bite to eat at Istanbul Cafe and some fun drinks at Bronx Bar or Gingerman's.

Do we even mention all the strollers and joggers up and down University connecting Rice Village to the Med Center?

I can walk from the 82 Bus stop at McGowen...and there's a bunch of lively restaurants with, gasp, decent amount of people walking from their condos or parking lots to places like Ibiza, Reef, Ruby Tequila's, Bond Lounge and other such places.

I can walk around Holman and San Jacinto after class...and that's a fairly busy pedestrian intersection, students walking, poor people milling waiting for the church to open...and diners wanting to go to Boba's burgers and teas.

I can walk from my apartment in Westchase and see TONS of people walking their dogs, going to Kroger, catching Bus 82, carrying stuff from Big Lots, jogging blond chicks and what not.

I can take a stroll down Ranchester after eating a big meal at Tan Tan's in New Chinatown and see a plethora of families out walking the sidewalks, individuals riding bikes, going to shop at Welcome Food Market...or to grab meals at Tan Tan or Bodard's or Cafe La Tea.

Heck, there's tons of people walking around just Sin Chao and Diho centers...New Chinatown is something of a defacto downtown for Sharpstown! I like eating there and then browsing the gift shops, seeing what subtitled DVDs they have...then finishing off with some shaved Chinese ice cream over at Star Snow Ice.

Houston is a charmingly unconventional big city...it has the pedestrian culture around. Just not in some uniform packaged way like other predictable cities. No, there's no Times Square or Rainier Square as such here in H-town but I sure do love the catwalk style here. The odd juxtaposition of differing street styles makes up for that here.

You won't see a wide range of demographically DIVERSE spots from Poison Girl to Shisha Express to Savoy's to Byzantio's to Yummy's Cafe to 101 Cafe to Agora Ka to Boudreaux's in more favored places I've visited like Austin or Portland or Seattle...(much less an Asheville, NC, though I haven't been there). Yeah, they may have some elements...but not all of them as in H-town.

Houston's just got some live and jive places all around.

Cute cities they are to me,...but they aren't close to what Houston's big city amenities are.

[Spade]

Originally Posted by Grunn

You haven't been to many places have you?

Judging by that post, probably not. Many people have mercedes, jags, BMWs parked at subway stations in DC and walks around in the DC neighborhoods and downtown on a daily basis.

Houston needs to improve it's sidewalks especially inside the loop. There are some neighborhoods where the the sidewalks vanish out of thin air and some of them do not have sidewalks at all. Most of the sidewalks are also very narrow and are obstructed by a hydrant or tree in the middle of them. Fortunately the city is changing this and thus are building wider sidewalks along transit corridors. Hopefully this happens throughout the loop. Once Houston's neighborhoods are connected more, you will see Houston become a much better pedestrian city.

[blkgiraffe]

Sidewalks. Sidewalks would do wonders for the neighborhoods in Houston. Houston doesn't understand that sidewalks are very important in creating a walkable neighborhood. The city is throwing up all these urban lofts, but yet throw in a 3ft sidewalk which just ruins the whole urban aspect of the development.

[irishlover]

Why do people always try to wish a place into something it isn't and won't ever be? Houston is Houston partly because of a lack of pedestrian culture the OP mentioned in other cities and partly because of a hundred other reasons that make our city unique. Get over yourself already.

[blkgiraffe]

Originally Posted by irishlover

Why do people always try to wish a place into something it isn't and won't ever be? Houston is Houston partly because of a lack of pedestrian culture the OP mentioned in other cities and partly because of a hundred other reasons that make our city unique. Get over yourself already.

My only problem with Houston is the sidewalks. I like to walk and when you have none or small sidewalks. It discourages me from doing that because I hate walking in the grass or alongside the curb. I'm talking about widening the sidewalks at least on the main streets (Westheimer, Almeda, Montrose, Richmond,etc)