Shedding Light on Houston's LED Streetlights

For the longest time, those familiar orange-ish looking street lights have been a fixture in our cities. Fly into a city like Detroit or Chicago on a clear night and you can see the golden glow of the city's street grid. But as many have pointed out and many have experienced themselves, that is beginning to change. We're beginning to see our cities in a different light (and that's not just a euphemism).

Cities around the country (or, maybe more accurately, their electric providers) have been transitioning to LED lights in great frequency, not only to save money, but also because of the increased safety that residents feel with more visible light in their neighborhoods. Make no mistake, the LED lights do a much better job in providing visibility. Cities including New York, Seattle, San Jose, Los Angeles, Boston, Phoenix, Detroit and San Francisco have already transitioned to LED street lights. Some cities, like Detroit, have embraced the lights. Others have found them irritating, and others have already moved on to alternative LED lights.

CenterPoint Energy

Here in Houston the talk about LEDs started in 2009. The City of Houston partnered with CenterPoint Energy to test LED street lights in south Houston's Bridgegate Subdivision through an LED pilot program. The city agreed to convert its lights to LEDs in 2014, but it wasn't until late in 2015 that CenterPoint Energy actually began installing the LED lights throughout the rest of the city. It was something that I hadn't heard about until the streetlight near our former apartment in Houston Heights was changed. For a few days I thought that there were oncoming vehicles (with LED headlights) as we pulled out of our driveway. No, it was just new streetlight.

Now, let's pause here for a local lesson in civics. Not many people may know that the City of Houston City Council hosts a weekly session on Tuesdays at 1:30 PM, where residents can approach the mayor and council with any sort of concern. With a new City Council (now serving a four-year term) and a newly-elected mayor, it is a great time for residents to begin mounting their concerns, and seeing whether new council members (and incumbent members too), will take up their cause.

(As a side note: I've put together the Houston Urbanist and Civics Calendar which is a collection of meeting times for government and quasi governmental agencies in Houston. It includes City Council, Harris County Commissioner's Court, various management districts, TIRZs, and special events related to urban planning and architecture. Please use it as a way to be more informed on opportunities to engage in dialogue with respect to your neighborhood. Promotion over, back to lighting!)

A high-pressure sodium light (left), and a new LED light (right) on North Main Street at East 24th Street

There are always a wide range of topics at City Council, including the always entertaining excessive utility charge, or various complaints about city services. At times, things might seem off topic, or even a bit uncomfortable. But, if you have public comment, that can be expected. A few weeks ago there was an interesting discussion that seemed to create a buzz at City Council: Houston's new LED street lights. A buzz may be an overstatement, but the topic seemed to demand more attention than I had expected.

Jonathan C.C. Day in the Woodland Heights is leading the charge against the LED lights currently being installed. There is now even a petition making the circuit, asking the City of Houston (and ultimately, CenterPoint) to reconsider the blue-ish LED bulb currently used, advocating for a warmer LED bulb, much like those that were installed in Davis, California. Other Houstonians have complained about the lights but admit that they'd rather have a light as opposed to no lights.

Now, before jumping on the bandwagon and signing that petition, there are some benefits to the LED lights. First, they'll certainly brighten up your neighborhood. For those that aren't directly underneath one of these lights, they're of great benefit. You can see much more, and with greater detail. Especially in areas that are prone to crime, this is a welcomed change. The LED lights also save a great deal of energy, as up to 80% of the electrical energy is used in producing light, as opposed to around 10% for normal bulbs. The lights last longer also, resulting in lower maintenance costs. While the fixture itself may cost more, the operation and maintenance of each light is much lower over a longer period of time.

But sure, not all is good in the hood when it feels like your street has been turned into a car dealer's lot. Many have complained about the intensity of these new lights. Gone is the familiar orange glow, replaced with a sterile-like light. There hasn't been an immediate health risk presented with the new LED lights, but opponents suggest that we are using more light than is necessary, which can affect sleep cycles.

Los Angeles Skyline Comparison, CenterPoint Energy Presentation

While the LED technology seems to be the correct path, it may be worth looking at whether an alternative is possible. Proponents of the change here in Houston are not asking the City and CenterPoint to simply overthrow the idea of LED lighting, but are asking for a change in color temperature. The current 4000k may be too cool of a color, while suggestions seem to settle on a light in the 3000k range, which could look similar to the glow we've been accustomed to in high-pressure sodium lights. Admittedly, this may be a tough switch given the amount of resources already committed to the project. Day does provide a compelling financial breakdown of the potential cost savings in switching to a lower-temperature and lower-wattage light, but doesn't account for the cost of installing the lights.

Sure, Davis, California made the switch, but it cost them. It actually cost the city $350,000 to replace just 650 lights. That's $538 a light! Houston has almost 200,000 street lights maintained in public rights of way. At a time when city budgets are already crunched, would this be a wise investment? Would CenterPoint foot this bill for the city? Would the perceived safety improvements from the brighter LED lights be something residents are willing to compromise for the replacement cost? At this point, I would expect not. There seem to be more questions than answers.

But, it can never be too late to learn from our analyses and better plan for future lighting needs. At this point, Houston seems to be sitting where Davis, California sat. Unfortunately, the magnitude of the project may make it too difficult to completely stop at this point. Houston may not have the luxury of paying the upgrade costs up front, like Davis did. Yes, Houston began a pilot program in one neighborhood in 2009, but is only now seeing resistance to the program, 7 years later. This may be a case where public input was not as widely solicited as possible, coupled with the tension of the introduction of new technology after agreements like this are made. (Were LED lights with lower color temperatures available in 2009? Likely not. But if they were, they were likely much more expensive than they are now.)

This case reiterates the importance of the public input process in decisions that are made within cities, especially a city like Houston, the 4th largest city in the country.  In an analysis of the Davis, California LED situation, a thought was offered that rings true for any city; "For any survey of public preferences to be effective, an organized program to solicit input from a broad cross-section of the public must be undertaken prior to implementation." Could the public input process have been more robust? Probably. Were there people that did not speak out against the lights at the time? Again, likely. Will everyone be happy with a final decision? In a city of over 2 million people, where some are worried about increased security, while others are worried about their sleep cycles being affected, most certainly not.

Recently Astronaut Scott Kelly tweeted a picture of Washington, DC viewed from space. It's unmistakable that certain parts of the city appear to be a brighter white, instead of that orange-ish glow we're accustomed to seeing in aerial imagery or from higher elevations. No doubt, our cities look different.

Had a great view of #WashingtonDC yesterday morning! #YearInSpace pic.twitter.com/oxtuOHYfaW

— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) January 29, 2016

So, wherever you are on the street lighting spectrum, we must take note that changing technologies will change the way we see our cities. Cities that have been installing LED lights have seen their light pollution decreased and darker streets illuminated. Those are great things. LED lighting also changes the way our cities are photographed and captured in film, as spelled out in this article. Hollywood will likely never see our cities the same, and neither will we. That old orange glow is seemingly gone for now.

Airbnb in Houston; Final Four and Super Bowl Speculation

Now that Super Bowl 50 is over, people can start making their plans for Super Bowl LI here in Houston. The Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau predicts that a million people will be making their way to Houston that first weekend of February 2017. While the Houston Press featured a timely reminder this week that the City of Houston as a whole will likely see a great economic benefit from hosting the Super Bowl, there may be some people standing to make a great deal next February.

A few weeks ago the Houston Chronicle featured an article explaining the growing push back from Houston's hotel industry in the light of the growth of private rental accommodations. In order to host the Super Bowl Houston had to make sure that there were at least 19,000 hotel rooms available for rent. That doesn't seem to be stopping people from renting out their home. The Houston Chronicle this morning showed us the $10,000-a-night Los Altos Hills house that hometown Houstonian Beyonce rented last weekend. Unfortunately, we don't have the sort of natural scenery and topography that accompanied her latest rental, but we do have some expensive rentals out there right now.

Just last night a KHOU story featured two places to stay through Airbnb, highlighting a Humble family, who haven't offered their home for rent until now, as well as a home along the Washington Avenue corridor for a weekly fee of $10,000. The renter noted that the money made from the rental of her home would be donated to the Houston Food Bank.

While Houston has not gotten as enterprising as some of the folks who were trying to cash in on the snow that Winter Storm Jonas dumped a few weeks ago in the northeast (Brooklyn Igloo for 2), there are a growing number of Airbnb and VRBO listings in Houston in anticipation of Super Bowl LI.

When looking at available options for the days surrounding Super Bowl LI, I am guessing that some have overlooked the fact that Houston is hosting the event the weekend of February 5, 2017, as there are a number of affordable Airbnb rooms available all over town. But, there are a growing number of rentals reflecting the weekend's high rental demand.

A few weeks ago I noticed a home for rent in Houston's First Ward area for $1,500 during the NCAA Final Four. Another nearby town home is advertised for $1,499 a night, advertising a short walk to a bus route and light rail line.

As I looked at the accompanying map I noticed that one of these same homes is advertised for $10,000 a night during Super Bowl LI. While the house has all the bells and whistles one could imagine, it's interesting to see how people market their lodging. If I were staying somewhere for the Super Bowl, I'd be looking for places that are accessible to transit, as parking will cost a pretty penny, while METRO's Red Line will drop you off right in front of NRG Stadium for a cool $1.25 per trip. This home's listing advertises a 1-mile walk to the U of H Downtown light rail stop. (Not exactly a marketable distance to walk...) After a Super Bowl game, no one is wanting to walk a mile at midnight to get back to their lodging.

For anyone attending the Super Bowl festivities, $10,000 a night (nearly $1,000 a night when considering shared costs among a group of guests) might be a bit steep, considering you're likely to spend more time at game events rather than sitting in front of a big screen TV or kicking up your feet. It might make more sense to stay somewhere closer to the action, with more readily available transit access. So, why not Downtown Houston? You and seven other guests can rent this Super Bowl Penthouse for $5,000 a night. Or, if it's just two people coming to town, you can rent a Downtown loft for $950 a night.

Still too expensive? Here's an East Downtown apartment for $1,500 a night directly across from BBVA Compass Stadium. Or, try an East Downtown garden apartment located a few blocks from METRO's Purple and Green light rail lines.

Want to be closer to NRG Stadium? Here's a 2 bedroom apartment for $1,173 a night. This might not be the most fund place to stay, as it's not really near any sort of entertainment district, but you could just walk home after the Super Bowl, which would save a great deal of time.

If you're looking for charming and quaint, check out this $1,500 a night Museum District House and Cottage for 8. Or maybe this $4,000 a night Executive Home and Media Studio Oasis (where apparently actors and film crews usually stay).

And, if you're really looking to stay outside the Houston area, there's an $8,300 a night rental in Sugar Land. Either way, property owners in Houston are looking to score some extra cash by renting out their homes and apartments. If I'm coming in from out of town for the Super Bowl (or Final Four), I'd look to be as close to the METRO Rail as possible, as you can easily get to Downtown Houston for all the events earlier in the weekend, as well as NRG Stadium for the game on Sunday.

METRO Houston's January 24, 2016 Service Changes; Blogger Luncheon

Earlier today I had the privilege of attending a METRO Blogger Luncheon, where METRO officials continued to highlight the service changes that they would be making later this month. It was a time for a number of Houston bloggers, who regularly discuss their transit experience or work on creating dialogue surrounding solutions for Houston's transportation headaches, to ask METRO officials about changes to the bus network, how the New Bus Network is performing, and what other technological changes METRO is making in the coming months. Others at the luncheon included Charles Kuffner from Off the Kuff, Anastasia Hansen from It's Not Hou It's Me, Tory Gattis from Houston Strategies, Andrea Greer from nonsequiteuse and Kate Adams from Raised on the Rail. (It was great to meet everyone!)

The changes presented to us, and to the rest of Houston over the last few weeks, are in response to METRO's New Bus Network, which launched in August of 2015. For some, the changes were of great benefit. For others, the changes have brought about longer commutes.

It's a real balancing act for METRO officials to continue to provide services without spending a greater amount of money, something that transit riders frown upon. Many Houstonians depend on transit to commute, and a change in routes, frequency and running time can really throw a wrench into someone's routine. Given the sprawling nature of Houston's more-suburban areas, which are still serviced by local bus routes, allocating resources is hard. I will say, METRO is taking ridership very seriously. They're listening to rider needs and working on solutions. Their response has been great. As previously mentioned, METRO will be making a number of changes to their network on January 24, 2016. Many of the changes deal with frequency, and are primarily small route changes.

As METRO continues to learn about the habits of its riders, it's anticipated that tweaks like this will continue to happen. With only a few months of data to draw from with respect to ridership on the New Bus Network, there will likely be more service changes ahead. METRO will want to continue to adjust to rider demand, especially as new areas of Houston grow in density and intensity of land use, as well as when new attractions, such as office complexes, schools, colleges or public health and service facilities are built. That was a challenge with the previous bus system, as small changes over time left the system with many outdated routes that may have only served a few people. (The 50 via Detroit route comes to mind.)

There wasn't much talk about infrastructure, but I can guess that will be a topic in the future. Kurt Luhrsen, Vice President of Planning at METRO, and METRO Board Member Christof Spieler did made it a point that  METRO had made things a bit more comfortable and informative for riders when they added the directional signage to each bus stop sign. For instance, signs for a particular route may be across the street from one another, but it was not always intuitive where the route would head from each stop. Adding benches, bus shelters, sidewalks and lighting will be continued topics of conversation. (Look for a Rice Design Alliance article from Allyn West on METRO's bus shelter design and construction process coming soon. Spoiler: bus shelters cost way more than I expected.)

Transfers are going to be easier for riders come January 24th. On that day, riders will no longer buy a single trip ticket. They will essentially buy a 3-hour pass, allowing for an unlimited number of transfers in any combination of directions. (This is only for the same level of service, so, this wouldn't allow a local bus rider to transfer free to a Park and Ride trip.) This makes it much easier for those who are visiting Houston to use the system, and for residents that use transit for errands or pleasure. Now, trips can be made there and back, as long as they fall within a 3-hour window.

METRO also recently released the MPD Connect mobile application, which allows riders to report situations to METRO's police department. I had wondered why METRO did not roll this into their existing TRIP application, but was told that "MPDConnect was developed in-house & we wanted to launch it on its own before trying to integrate it with other apps."

METRO is also working on mobile ticketing. In December of 2015 METRO asked riders to participate in a beta-test of their Mobile QTicketing application. At the luncheon METRO Chief Technology Officer Randy Frazier noted that the application would be launched soon, likely in late February or early March.

We also learned today that METRO's TRIP application would be receiving an update. It's been good for riders since its launch, but an update will be welcomed. Also, it may be wise for METRO to combine the MPDConnect, TRIP and QTicketing applications. Separate applications for each function seems a bit inefficient for users. Even if that doesn't happen, the technological advances METRO has made in the past few years is welcomed for those using transit.

Finally, METRO is working in integrating Houston Transtar information into service notices for specific routes. For instance, if your route is affected by an accident causing your buses to be delayed, METRO can send you a notice so you're not left wondering whether your bus is simply late. I'm sure we'll hear more from METRO about this in the coming months.

A few loose items:

For Houston Heights residents, the Heights Transit Center was approved as surplus property at the last METRO board meeting. The process can be found in METRO's December 2015 Board Meeting Minutes Packet (large file). The 38,411 square foot site had been purchased in 1990 for $206,766. Now that the New Bus Network does not utilize the center, METRO has decided to unload it. It is not clear whether the property will be acquired by a local government agency, or sold by bid. It still looks as if there are a number of days before

METRO may look to make continued attempts to capture ridership, especially in the form of cyclists. A recent program in Santa Fe, New Mexico partnered with local bike shops to provide monthly or yearly bus passes based on particular purchases. A program similar to Santa Fe's Bike Purchase Bus Pass Rebate Program, even for a short time, may help to boost ridership. Perhaps Houston bicycle retailers such as Bikebarn, West End Bikes, Blue Line Bicycle Lab, or Daniel Boone Cycles would partner.

The luncheon was a great opportunity for some of Houston's outspoken transit and lifestyle bloggers to learn more about METRO's continued improvements, and to ask questions of METRO staff. METRO wants to make it as easy as possible for new riders to enjoy the benefit of transit in Houston. With these improvements, they're well on their way. if you're skeptical of the bus or rail, please resolve to try it once. And then, maybe again. It really is freeing watching your city from a vantage point other than from behind a steering wheel.

New Year's Resolutions: Houston's Urbanism and Civics Calendar

Each year we're prone to give ourselves New Year's resolutions. I'm sure many of us have already broken those resolutions no more than a few weeks into 2016. Most people resolve to exercise more. Some want to volunteer. Some people may resolve to have a greater involvement in their city's civic organizations or government. But, along with that last resolution comes a struggle to know just how to get involved or familiar with local government. As a local government employee, I understand that, and couldn't agree more with a resolution like this, and want to help Houstonians.

People love to vote every four years for a presidential candidate, however, most people often underestimate the impact that local decisions have over their quality of life. Many residents of Houston are also surprised when major changes happen in their neighborhoods. To be fair, there are many moving parts to Houston's civic and development, and the process can be overwhelming. Being more informed can help lessen the surprising blow of major changes while increasing our understanding of how government, and especially development, functions in a place like Houston. Residents usually look for some sort of predictability in their neighborhoods, and without zoning in Houston, residents are left surprised once something is already taking place.

Well, I hope that this is something that might help: Houston's Urbanism and Civics Calendar. This is something that I have wanted to do for a while. I originally saw this idea at Daniel Kay Hertz's City Notes website, where he began listing urbanist events in Chicago. (His calendar is no longer on his site, but it's still a great idea.) I've included many of the organizations that guide local government, with an influence on those organizations that contribute to Houston's built environment and urban experience.

As for the Houston Urbanism and Civics Calendar, examples of organizations with posted events include Houston City Council, Houston Planning Commission, Harris County Commissioners Court, METRO, management districts, TIRZs, architecture tours, design and planning lectures and other local planning-related events.

For those who are unfamiliar, management districts and TIRZs (Tax Increment Reinvestment Zones) have a significant amount of power in using public funding to complete construction or programming within an area. The Houston City Council recently approved TIRZs for the Montrose and Sunnyside. Steve Jansen at the The Houston Press wrote a critical (and incredibly informational!) piece about Houston's TIRZ system last year. While TIRZs certainly accomplish many great things, many arguments have been made pertaining to their somewhat clouded operation.

Any quasi-governmental organizations listed, including TIRZs and management districts, will post their agendas at least 72 hours in advance as directed by the Texas Open Meetings Act. In Houston, some organizations, like the Houston Downtown Management District, post their agendas online. Other groups may only have their public agendas posted at City Hall or the Harris County Courthouse. The City of Houston's public bulletin boards are located on the back side of City Hall, facing Bagby Street.

The public hearing bulletin boards outside Houston City Hall

Many of the organizations and events listed will be architecture or urban planning related. Many of these organizations are responsible for stewarding the public funding they receive, and their meetings are open to the public. These are regular opportunities for the public to have a voice in the decisions that will impact them each day.

I resolve to try to keep Houstonians informed about their local government. But, I won't be able to do this alone! If you know of public meetings or events that fit the description of those already included, please let me know, and I may be able to put those meetings or events on the calendar. I am still in the process of adding some management districts and TIRZs, but have a number of them included already. Again, Houstonians, please let me know if I can add anything to the calendar. Let's stay informed in 2016.

APA Texas Chapter 2015 State Planning Conference

Later this week Galveston will host the American Planning Association's Texas Chapter 2015 State Planning Conference. The conference, with its "Inspire, Imagine, Innovate" theme, hopes to do just that. Planners, engineers and urbanists from around the state will convene to learn, share ideas and celebrate achievements in planning and development.

Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP
Photo: NYC Parks

Headlining this year's conference is Mitchell Silver. Many may not recognize his name, but his position as Commissioner of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation comes with a storied past. This was the same position that was held by Robert Moses for over 26 years from 1934 to 1960, after having been appointed by New York Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia. Moses used his position to initiate a massive expansion of New York City park facilities, including playgrounds, swimming pools, golf courses, beaches, recreation centers, and zoos.

A timeline of Moses' accomplishments is quite impressive, shaping New York's modern park system. of course, Moses was also criticized for his continued "power broker" tactics, culminating with his 1960s spar with Jane Jacobs over the proposed Lower Manhattan Expressway that would run right through Jacobs' Greenwich Village neighborhood. Nonetheless, Moses had a lasting impact on New York City parks.

And, with Silver's visit to the Houston area, you can be sure that the city's park development will be a central theme. (See Texas Monthly's most recent article about Houston's parks). This past weekend Houston celebrated the grand opening of the Buffalo Bayou Park, which will give Houstonians and the city's visitors, a different view of our city. Silver may also be able to provide commentary on Houston's recent planning efforts to create the Plan Houston general plan. As Planning Director of Raleigh, North Carolina, Silver led a process to update both the city's complrehensive plan and development code.

The conference will also contribute a tactical urbanism legacy project. "Planarchy" aims to show "how low-cost, incremental, changes can enhance Galveston’s public space, advance economic development opportunities, and improve health outcomes. Planners who volunteer for the Legacy Project will learn about the different tactical urbanism techniques, how they can be applied, and gain hands on experience implementing interventions." "Planarchy" will begin on Thursday evening at 5 PM and last through the day on Friday near the intersection of 25th Street and Market Street in Downtown Galveston. Mobile workshops during the conference will feature a look at Galveston's beach management process, Galveston's historic preservation, as well as a visit to Downtown Houston.

For more information about the conference, please visit the conference website. While online registration is closed, attendees may register on site.

Geography, Neighborhood Distinction and the Local Media; Knowing Our Cities

The local news seems to portray that we don't know our cities all that well. I sometimes wonder how much more we as citizens could learn about our cities if our local news media accurately described the neighborhoods in our cities.

A shooting occurred in the Independence Heights neighborhood of Houston early Wednesday morning. Independence Heights is a neighborhood just north of Houston's I-610 loop. It is home to what most claim was "Texas' first self-governing African-American community."

When Houston's local news media covered the shooting, it was described as a shooting "in the Heights-area." Would viewers not know where Independence Heights is located? Well, sure, it was near the Heights. But how close is near? Another outlet described it as "north Houston". Again, how far north of Downtown Houston is "north Houston?" Houston is a gigantic city, so north Houston should be more than a few miles from its center. The site of the shooting is approximately a half mile north of Houston's I-610 loop, which serves as the northern border of what is known as the Houston Heights neighborhood. (To be technical, Sunset Heights is the subdivision name north of the Houston Heights proper.)

This is part a further trend in Houston where developers simply attach "-Heights" to neighborhoods or developments in hope of invoking the charm of the Houston Heights proper. (I'm sure this can be said of many other neighborhoods in other cities as well.) Let's not be quick to lump our neighborhoods together with the most well-known neighborhoods in the area. These are distinct neighborhoods with histories and stories to tell. Yes, some of these neighborhoods have their troubles. But, these are neighborhoods with long time residents. These are neighborhoods that desire city services and investment. I'm sure that many of these neighborhoods long to keep some of their distinction.

Houston Mayoral Candidates and Campaign Photography; Sabine Street Bridge

As the Houston mayoral race starts to collect momentum, it is interesting to note each candidate's choice of Houston imagery. Political campaigns normally employ iconic photographs, scenes that everyone can identify with, or neighborhood scenes where candidates might be captured lending a hand to neighborhood projects. So far, most mayoral candidates have chosen campaign photographs with Downtown Houston's skyline as a background. Let's take a look at the candidates so far and their campaign photography selections as they relate to Houston's built environment.

Mattress Manifest Destiny in Houston: Mattress Firm and Mattress Pro

If you live in Houston, you might notice the seemingly rapid growth in the number of Houston-based Mattress Firm locations, especially within Houston's 610 Loop. Mattress Firm locations have been springing up in prime locations around town, blanketing neighborhoods, including three recent stores in Montrose alone, at West Gray and Montrose Boulevard, Westheimer and Wesleyan, and Westheimer and Montrose Boulevard. Across the country Mattress Firm has opened and acquired 118 new stores in its fourth fiscal quarter this year alone, including many here in Houston. They're on a king-sized mattress manifest destiny across the nation! (Mattress Firm even had four pop-up-like locations at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo this year, with three in the NRG Center, and one in NRG Park.)

A Mattress Firm booth at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

(Re)Naming Houston's Highways

Cars in Depth: The Streets of Detroit

Growing up near Detroit, when people talked about highways or interstates, they reference their names. No, not just their numerical assignment in the Interstate Highway System or respective state highway system. That'd just be boring. Listen to any traffic report in somewhere like Chicago or Detroit, and even New York. You'll hear some familiar historic names. The names of former mayors, presidents, military figures or major contributors to the economy are used as tributes in highways naming.

In August the Chicago Tribute graphics team published an infographic explaining the "notable names behind Chicagoland's expressways." There they have the Kennedy (I-90 / I-94) the Dan Ryan (I-94 / I-90), the Eisenhower, or Ike (I-83) and the Stevenson (I-55), among others.

Lowering Houston's Speed Limit; Pedestrian Safety in Houston

Does anyone really know the speed limit in Downtown Houston? Probably not. I don't believe there are any posted speed limit signs. But there is a speed limit. And no, it's not "however fast you can drive between lights." With any non-scientific observation, one can see that speeds in Downtown Houston normally range anywhere from gridlock to Gran Prix.

Speed limits in Downtown Houston are not posted, so, as found in Section 45-91 of the City of Houston Code of Ordinances, the speed limit is actually 30 miles per hour, just like any other local street in our city. 30 miles per hour had also been the local speed limit in New York City until a few weeks ago. On November 7th, New York City's speed limits became 25 miles per hour, unless posted otherwise. This was part of the city's Vision Zero initiative, aimed at reducing pedestrian deaths and injuries. Of course, there were skeptics.

As included in a recent Vox article, researchers have shown that reducing the speed of a car involved in an accident reduces the risk of death in an accident. Researchers found that:

For drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists, casualties (a category that includes both deaths and injuries) dropped by 41.9 percent in the new speed zones compared to other areas, with all the new zones leading to 203 fewer annually in total. Deaths declined by 35.1 percent, with 27 fewer annually.

What's in a Transit System's Name or Acronym?; Alternative Names for Houston's METRO

What's in a name? that which we call a transit authority
By any other name would our ride be so sweet;

                        -not William Shakespeare, not Romeo and Juliet

Here in Houston we have METRO, or if you call it by it's full legal name, the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County. But no one calls it that; it's too much of a mouthful. And no one ended up calling the Authority "M-TAHC" (pronounced M-tack?), even though that sounds much zippier than METRO.

METRO has little descriptive element. It seems a bit impersonal, without connection or context. Any regional transit authority that serves cities can make a case to name their service "METRO". Of course it can, because it's in a metropolitan area. And, as I'll list, many agencies chose to use "Metro" in their names.

Don't misunderstand me. This isn't about METRO's service or ridership experience. I ride the bus every day and I love it. There's certainly always strides to be made in service and ridership experience. METRO is going a great job with the resources they have available, building ridership and making drastic route changes with their Transit System Reimagining, hoping it will lead to even more bus ridership in the future. They're also looking at strengthening their rider code of conduct.

Houston, Zoning & the New Donut Model

Mmm, donuts.

A few weeks ago on Urbanophile Aaron Renn discussed a historical concept of urban development known as the "donut" model. This concept takes place when a city's outlaying areas see more development than a city's urban core. This has historically been the development trend in many cities, including many rust belt cities like Detroit, Cleveland, Chicago, Saint Louis and Minneapolis, as well as some southern cities like Atlanta, and even here in Houston. European cities haven't been exempt to this pattern either.

Renn then categorized the current development trend of many cities with gentrifying and revitalizing downtown districts, calling it the "new donut" paradigm. Some urbanists have attributed some of the effects of this new paradigm to the existence of traditional zoning in cities, claiming that existing zoning restraints effectively renders parts of cities unable to address the needs for increasing housing or development needs. As evidenced here in Houston, and recently in Minneapolis, among many other cities, Renn notes that:

Filling in the hole became every city’s mission. Pretty much any city or metro region of any size has pumped literally billions of dollars into its downtown in an attempt to revitalize them. This took many forms ranging from stadiums to convention centers to hotels to parking garages to streetcars to museums and more. It’s popular today to subsidize mixed use development with a heavy residential component.

Mmm, donuts. In Houston, when you discuss donuts, the topic rapidly shifts to Shipley's. It's Shipley's versus the rest of the world here, although Dunkin Donuts is making a push for a Houston presence. I'm not really sure how fried breakfast foods ended up being an analogy for discussing urban development, but they're both things I enjoy, so I don't mind it at all. And, since it's now fall, all this talk about donuts brings back the memories of Blakes Cider Mill in Armada, Michigan, sitting in the middle of an apple orchard, chowing down on freshly fried donuts washed down by fresh-pressed apple cider.

Courtesy of Urbanophile.com

While I love donuts, I like bagels too. Houston's development, and the downtown development in many cities, is more like the experience of having a cinnamon crunch bagel at Panera, which one can argue is much like a donut anyways. You know the bagel has a hole in it somewhere. It's just filled in with sweet, cinnamon-y toasted sugar. You know the hole is there in the middle of the doughy periphery, it's just filled in. Maybe that toasted cinnamon sugar filling is the gigantic amount of sweet public funding that cities have dedicated to building these stadiums, convention centers, and even residential developments. It's not at all that these attempts are wrong, but we've just invested a lot of taxpayer money in them. More to follow on residential development, specifically here in Houston, in the coming week or so.

Courtesy of Urbanophile.com

Okay, back to cities now. This "new donut" paradigm is precisely what has happened recently in Houston. The Astrodome was replaced with Minute Maid Park. It's only fitting that in a discussion about cities and breakfast foods, that we have a stadium named for a brand of orange juice. There's not much that we can thank former Enron Chairman Kenneth Lay for, other than his insistence that the Astros establish a downtown field, ultimately incorporating the former Union Station into the stadium's design. The Rockets then moved from The Summit to the Toyota Center, the George R Brown Convention Center was built, along with many hotels, parks and offices.

The Secret Life Of Shopping Carts: Abandoned Buggies in Houston

As I went for a run through the Heights a while ago I noticed a somewhat out of place sight; an HEB shopping cart sitting along a sidewalk at 17th Street and Rutland Street. Much to the chagrin of Heights residents and native Texans, there is no HEB close by. And, judging from first and second-hand accounts, the HEB at 18th Street and T.C. Jester leaves much to be desired compared to the chain's Montrose location. I am guessing that this cart wandered from the 18th Street location, which means it traveled just under two miles to get there.

After seeing this cart in the Heights, I now have a heightened lookout for other shopping carts as I traverse Houston. "How'd it end up there?", "What store is it from?", "How close is that store from here?", "How far might it have traveled?" and "Who left this here?" are all questions that come to mind when seeing these abandoned buggies. These stolen and abandoned shopping carts have been the topic of complaints here in Houston before, ending up in front of people's homes or left on neighborhood sidewalks or public spaces, and dumped in ditches, or into Houston's bayous.

Parkitecture: Surface Parking Lots in Downtown Houston - Pay Stations, Honesty Boxes and Parking Huts

***Update: Portions of my post were featured in the Gray Matters column on the Houston Chronicle website on September 3, 2014.

Houston is a city of commodities. In order of importance, parking ranks a close second right behind oil. We love our cars, and Houstontians need somewhere to store them when they drive themselves to work. Roughly 57 percent of all Downtown Houston workers drive alone to work, so that means there's a great number of cars that need parking spaces on any given work day. Some estimates have almost 22 percent of Downtown Houston being covered with surface parking, and almost another 4 percent covered by parking garages. These numbers have fluctuated somewhat in the past few years, but are probably still somewhat close. Just take a look at Downtown Houston's parking map to make an estimate yourself. It's been a long standing position of urbanists that American cities are haunted by too many parking spaces, leaving productive land underutilized. Parking lots have become the scourge of our downtowns. Streetsblog even documented some of our country's biggest urban parking craters, labeling them cancers to downtown districts.

Surface parking is something that is a convenience in Houston, even in our downtown. It's far too easy to find parking in Houston. We have to remember though, we're not entitled to easy and abundant parking access. Our parking situation is extremely different than most of the world-class cities to which we compare ourselves economically, like New York or Chicago.

Downtown People Movers; Houston's People Mover Past

A few weeks ago METRO Houston board member Christof Spieler posted some pictures from a recent trip to Detroit. Like any visitor to Detroit, Mr. Spieler commented on the misunderstood and seemingly useless Detroit People Mover. It only takes a few minutes to ride the 2.9 mile loop through Downtown Detroit, but it gives you an opportunity to see different parts of Downtown Detroit, and it actually makes downtown navigation quite easy if you're headed to a concert or sporting event, especially in those cold Michigan winters. It has a certain understated charm.

Given my Metro Detroit roots, nothing gets me riled up like criticisms of Detroit. Not to be misunderstood, the People Mover is probably one of the biggest blunders in public transit history. It's both loved and hated by Detroiters, and is even the subject of a Down With Detroit T-shirt. Captions from Down With Detroit detail Detroit's "Misguided attempt at being a major city, instead of putting light rail, we got a tour guide style monorail, only useful if you are going in a circle downtown." But Detroit may have just happened to be on the bad side of transit history luck. It surely wasn't the only city that applied for a Downtown People Mover (DPM).

As chronicled in this 2011 City Lab post from Eric Jaffe, Detroit was just one of the approximately 70 cities that applied for federal funding to build a people mover system in the early 1970's. Jaffe notes that "The idea for the people mover emerged in response to amendments in the Urban Mass Transportation Act of 1964, which called on the housing and urban development agency to encourage new systems of urban transportation that will carry people and goods within the metropolitan area speedily, safely, without polluting the air, and in a manner that will contribute to sound city planning." In 1966, the Urban Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA) was created, and it became responsible for developing new forms of transit.

The UMTA outlined some major goals in their DPM assessment:

(1) to test the operating cost savings which automated transit
systems might deliver;  

(2) to assess the economic impact of improved downtown circulation
systems on the central city; and  

(3) to test the feasibility of surface or elevated people movers
both as feeder distributors and as potential substitutes for
certain functions now performed by more expensive fixed guide-
way systems, such as subways.

"Tomorrow's Transportation: New Systems for the Urban Future" was a 1968 report that intended to ease the transit problems of Americans who live in or commute to cities. A DPM was just one of the recommendations made in the report, along with the seemingly Jetson-like personal rapid transit proposal, personal capsules, and the moving belts. We can be thankful that many of the report's findings never made it any further.

What resulted were proposals for DPM's from some of America's largest cities. The UMTA received and selected proposals from Los Angeles, St. Paul, Minnesota, Cleveland and our very own Houston. These were the four cities that were to receive federal funding to build a people mover system in their downtown. But a short time later Houston and Cleveland withdrew their applications, and St. Paul voters turned down the project. Miami and Detroit were chosen as alternate cities, and were the only two projects to result in built people movers.

Houston's People Mover Past

What would a Downtown People Mover have looked like here in Houston?

The City of Houston's 1976 proposal to the UMTA called for a 1.09 mile system, composed of 2.25 lane miles of track bisecting the "heart of the downtown core", stretching from the Cullen Center to the Harris County complex. It was intended to be fully owned, operated, planned and financed by the City of Houston, and was said to garner "strong and wide local support".

As one of the four cities chosen for the DPM program, the system was "viewed locally as a highly visible first step to improve public transit in Houston", and it was expected to be the central element of a city transit system.  Houston was reported to receive approximately $33 million to build their people mover, hoping it would "serve a rapidly expanding market for internal daytime circulation trips, and would stimulate new growth and development in the older north end of the city."

In the original proposal, the DPM was expected to attract 24,000 ADT, or over 20,000 passengers per system mile. To gain some perspective, Houston's METRO rail 12.8-mile Red Line carries about 41,000 riders per weekday in 2014, or approximately 3,200 riders per mile per day. These ridership estimates seem wildly optimistic, especially for circulation in such a small area. By 1985, the project was intended to service 8.5 million riders per year, or an average of just over 33,000 trips per day, with an estimated 74 percent of those trips being made going to and from work.

A major aspect of the DPM proposal was how a "DPM can act as a distributor for regional bus transit." It was an objective of the "City's transit program to intercept automobile traffic in the suburbs or to provide direct express service rather than to encourage auto use in the downtown." For those that currently work in Downtown Houston, we all know that these goals were not met.

Proposed route maps show eight stations starting at the Cullen Center, and extending clockwise to the Allen Center, the former Foley's Department Store, the Bank of the Southwest Building at 919 Milam, to the Pennzoil Building and Jones Hall, a North Main Terminal near Market Square, and looping over to the Harris County Courthouse, and back down to the Exxon Building before returning back to the Cullen Center.

The City of Houston contracted Sperry Systems Management and Howard R. Ross Associates to put together a preliminary report for a people mover. The report set out to "review some of the transportation problems facing downtown Houston", "discuss how a people mover could alleviate problems of access and circulation, and could interface effectively with downtown stations of the rail transit system when built."

The report contains a variety of possible people mover routes, with one route extending north and south along both Main and Smith, looping between Prairie and Pease, and another route extending from east to west generally along Dallas and Walker, looping just to the west of US-59, through what is now Discovery Green and the George R. Brown Convention Center. It is noted that the routes are for illustration only, but that these routes provided an extended range for lunchtime shopping and dining. And, with the availability of a climate controlled-circulation system, riders would not be limited by fatigue and discomfort.

Some of the most interesting content of the preliminary report is the projected transit use in Houston. The plan recognized that Houston, and the downtown core in particular, would see continued growth in the number of trips taken by commuters. The preliminary report notes that only about 35 percent of the anticipated growth in trips would be able to be absorbed by the freeway system. The report made a claim that by 1990, transit must account for 40 percent of the trips to and from the downtown area.

Source: 2013 Central Houston Commute Survey 

According to the 2013 Central Houston Commute Survey Report, this is in stark contrast to conditions now as nearly 57 percent of workers in Downtown Houston drive into work alone, and another 9 percent use some sort of car pool or van pool. That means that 68 percent of Downtown Houston workers are arriving to work in a vehicle. This falls well short of the projected transit goals laid out in the preliminary people mover report. The 2013 Central Houston report actually concluded that a greater number of people drove along in 2013 than in 2009, as "More downtown workers drove alone, and fewer chose public transit, vanpools, or carpools."

In 1978 steps were made to create an interim regional transit authority, following provisions by Texas State Legislature. Immediately after its formation, the authority put together what was called the "METRO Plan", highlighting near-term and long-term transit improvements in the region. As a result of the authority's planning, the Houston Office of Public Transit decided that the DPM plan should take a backseat. Finally, on August 12, 1978, Houston area residents voted to create the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO). METRO's board of directors "determined that the function of the DPM had to be re-examined in the light of the new regional transit authority committed to implementation of the METRO Plan."

The DPM was no longer viewed as the focal point for transit within Houston. It might, at best, simply be an integral part of a regional transit system. What resulted was a Downtown Mobility System (DMS) Study. This study still considered the DPM as part of what was called Automated Guideway Transit, as well as the birth of Bus Priority Systems, which impact on Houston's traffic today.

On July 16, 1979, the METRO board voted unanimously to withdraw from the UMTA's Downtown People Mover program. The board noted that bus priority systems and reserved transit lanes would be more cost effective than any Automated Guideway System, and that other activity centers within the city would have more severe traffic congestion, and would require some form of automated distribution system in the future. (This clearly never happened!)

The METRO board felt that they should give up their DPM program status to allow cities with more pressing needs to take advantage of the program, and wanted to give increased consideration to focus on transit options that complemented the Main Street Transit Mall, which was a result of the METRO board's Downtown Mobility Study. Main Street was intended to be constructed as a four-lane, bus-only, facility. The board also felt that a DPM-like system "may well be appropriate at another time in the CBD, or in other Houston activity centers where Bus Priority Systems would be more difficult to implement." The Main Street Mall was intended to have capacity for at least 150 regional express buses per hour.

I am glad that the Main Street Mall project never materialized and limited traffic to buses, although this is somewhat the current state of Main Street, as this is METRO's Red Line light rail route. On that day the METRO board bolstered regional transit in the name of local downtown circulation. A downtown people mover would be a unique element in Houston's already interesting streetscape, and something else that gives Houston its unique nature. Some renderings in the preliminary report are quite interesting. Image having arrived at Foley's in a train on an elevated track. (In the renderings it also looks like DPM cars would have been pushed away from the track into loading bays depressed into the second floor of Foley's.)

In the past Houston has never been one to aggressively pursue alternative forms of transportation, given the influence of oil companies here in Houston, much like the auto manufacturer's influence in Detroit. But this was probably one transit project that we can be glad was never built, at least in terms of function. METRO's Greenlink bus service essentially provides the same service as a people mover would have, but likely without the same service times, and at a much lower cost, with almost no added infrastructure. It also covers most of the same ground that several of the routes in the Houston people mover's preliminary report.

Transportation Sec. William Coleman, right, looks at plans for Downtown People Movers in five U.S. cities in 1976. (AP Photo/Harvey Georges)

But, I can't help but think that Houston may have missed out on having a unique form of transit within its downtown. As is the case with Detroit's cold winter weather, a system like this would certainly be a comfort for downtown workers and visitors in Houston's extreme heat. It sure would have made for a much better conversation piece than our current clogged (during rush hour!) downtown streets, and would allow people to traverse the city above ground and at street level, as opposed to through Houston's tunnel system. Now that the METRO rail is almost complete, it's not too late to add this to Houston's transit wish list!

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Below is a collection of snapshots (I apologize for any poor quality photos) of the City of Houston's proposal for the Downtown People Mover program proposal, as well as supporting documents, including the Preliminary Report for a People Mover System for downtown Houston, and the preliminary engineering grant application. Finally, captures of the METRO Houston Downtown Mobility Survey are included. All items are available for view at the Houston Metropolitan Research Center (HMRC), located within the Julia Ideson Library in Downtown Houston.