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.

Once Around the Block: Monday, July 6, 2015

I hope everyone had a blast of an Independence Day weekend (pun totally intended). Here are a few articles from the world of city planning, urbanism, and general interest from the past week or so:

Let's start again this week with another set of articles and stories from Michigan. Detroit is a city that continues to receive a great deal of attention from urban planners and public policy experts, especially as the city attempts to restructure its infrastructure and governmental structure.

An interview on Local 4's Flashpoint program with anchor Devin Scillian included urban planner Gil Penalosa. Penalosa stopped by the WDIV studios to discuss what exactly Detroit, and other cities for that matter, might need to accomplish in order to be considered a "great city". It's encouraging that this sort of discussion is happening in Detroit, and frankly, this serves as a reminder to other cities that this sort of discussion should be occurring even when your city seems to be thriving (Houston!). Penalosa makes a number of suggestions for Detroit and other cities. When asked about what people in cities want, Penalosa says that most desire to be in a city that allows us to use our senses. "Just how birds fly, and fish swim, people walk."




Last week Stephen Colbert found himself in Monroe, Michigan, hosting the monthly local-access cable show "Only in Monroe". Since Colbert's new stage is not yet complete for his Late Show debut, he took to local access. Colbert chatted with regular hosts, and registered nurses, Kaye Lani Rae Rafko, the 1988 winner of the Miss America pageant, (and personification of Parks and Recreation's character Joan Callamezzo) and Michelle Baumann. Colbert then featured the "vicious internet flame war" happening in Monroe between Yelp reviewer "Mark M", and Jerry's Frenchtown Bar and Grill. Finally, "a local Michigander who is making a name for himself in the competitive world of music" stopped by. That local Michigander was none other than Eminem.

For the Love of Local Access - Stephen Colbert Hosts "Only in Monroe"

Local access channels have always gotten a bad wrap. But, if you think about it, they're the closest thing that we had to YouTube for quite a while. Nearly anyone moderately interesting with a mild temperament was able to host their own cooking, travel, political or outdoors program. There are a host of local access shows that are actually pretty crazy too. They're typically low-budget, they highlight ultra-local issues, and are normally hosted by non-Emmy award winning hosts. Well, that all changed yesterday when a video of Stephen Colbert was released. Colbert took over the reigns of "Only in Monroe", a monthly local access show on Monroe, Michigan's Monroe Public Access Cable Television (MPACT).

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.

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.

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.

Houston: The Adolescent City

Recently, people have struggled to describe Houston, to give it an identity.

We've got a new slogan that touts Houston's endless possibilities, but that can also evoke thoughts of our seemingly endless suburban sprawl. Houston used to be "Space City, USA", but now the space program faces colossal cutbacks. We still house NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, but its role has been cut back drastically.

Houston used to be more widely known as "Clutch City", a description of the dramatic fashion in which the Houston Rockets won their 1994 and 1995 NBA Championships. But, the Rockets haven't been the same team since, so that one's lost its descriptive luster.

Houston's also known as the "Bayou City". And, even though Houston was founded on the banks of the confluence of White Oak and Buffalo bayous at Allen's Landing, it hasn't been until recently that the city or its citizens have understood the value of the city's bayous. They've got much greater value than simply being utilized as channels to collect the runoff from our suburban sprawl.

In the 1900's we were once named "The Magnolia City", but many of our magnolia trees were plowed under as our city grew.  Our oil economy afforded us the name "The Capital of the Sunbelt" in the 1970's. Due to our mass of oil and gas companies, we're also known by some as the "Energy Capital of the World."

Culturally, Houston has been called "H-Town". Hip hop and rap music fans know our city as "Screwston", in tribute to DJ Screw's "Chopped and Screwed" style.

The city of Houston's seal was influenced by our railroad heritage, but that seems to be something long forgotten. We've got no nickname for our history in that arena, and our utilization of rail in our city leaves us on the other side of the tracks of our heritage, and when compared to other large US cities. We've also imitated the moves of a bunch of other peer cities, and took out some pretty neat street car systems.

Houston has always done its own thing and wanted to doing things "uniquely Houston", whatever that is supposed to mean.That's why we might be best suited to call Houston "The Adolescent City".

METRO Musings: Theater District Station Platform Art; Bike Storage At METRO Rail Stations

Theater District Station Platform Art - Sprawl "On Stage" 

There are a lot of things that the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) is doing right. They're about to launch new rail lines that extend through Downtown Houston, as well as into the city's East End and Third Ward, reaching Texas Southern University and the University of Houston. METRO is also conducting a much needed Transit System Reimagining campaign, redrawing bus routes from scratch and reallocating resources to better serve most of the residents of Houston. I've previously covered how some of the routes would change, and analyzed how the proposed reimagining would affect my daily commute. METRO board member Christof Spieler has also explained that "This is a plan that makes current METRO riders’ trips better and makes METRO an option for more people."

"Sprawl" is "center stage" at METRO Rail's Theater District Station

In my commendation of METRO however, there are things from time to time that make me stop and think. One case is probably much-a-do-about-nothing, but I was surprised to see the word "sprawl" included in the design of the Downtown Rail Theater District Station. The renderings of the platform were released some time ago as part of the METRO's Arts In Transit Program.

The art created by Sharon Engelstein and Aaron Parazette contains "arrangements and rearrangements of context-specific words: vital, space, pivot, spirit, booming, go, core, cool, boost, sprawl, energy, smart, rapid, trade and now." Whether these terms are intended to represent Houston cannot be gathered from METRO's details about the project. The words selected by Engelstein and Parazette will be divided between Central Station Rusk, Central Station Capitol and Theater District stations.

"Sprawl" is the only questionable word of those selected in the art, as all of the others have a positive tie to Houston. But "sprawl" is one word that strikes the nerve of most urbanists and urban planners around the country. It's also a bit comical that the very service that is being provided in rail transit will most likely never serve those that are contained in the sprawling land of Houston. Had the artists selected a word like "dense" or "solid" or "grow", they might not seem so out of place.

"Now"

"Rapid"

"Trade"

It also seems that the orientation of the words has changed, readable from the street from left to right, as opposed to on the platform itself from left to right as shown in METRO's originally renderings. There are also now four words, as opposed to the rendered three words in the platform of the Theater District Station, eastbound Rusk at Smith.

METRO - Eastbound Rusk, facing west

METRO - Eastbound Rusk, Theater District Station

If there's anything that Houstontians are trying to shake, it's the image that Houston is a giant wasteland of suburban sprawl. Houston is much more than that, granted we do have a sprawling landscape, and it does, and will continue to present challenges to our city. I am sure this is making a mountain out of an ant hill, but it seems like an odd selection to have highlighted among other words that may used to describe Houston.

Bike Storage at METRO Rail Stops

The Houston BCycle program has done an admirable job at locating a few of their docking stations near the METRO Rail along Main Street. By my count, there are 11 BCycle Stations that are within a three block walk of the METRO Rail Red Line along Main and Fannin Streets, with six of those being one block or less from the Red Line. This makes for great mobility for visitors or those that do not own a bike.

Houston BCycle Map

For those that own a bike, the BCycle system may not be as practical. What about areas that are without BCycle stations, but still have access to the METRO Rail line or connecting bus routes? What are riders to do with their bikes when commuting from their homes or places of work with their bicycles?

The METRO Rail currently only has bicycle storage options at the Fannin South, TMC Transit Center, Wheeler and Downtown Transit Center stations. That seems surprisingly low, especially considering the amount of design that took place for each station and the consideration of the Transit System Reimaging. With a shift in bus routes, it may be more feasible for those within biking distance of a rail station, to simply ride their bike to that station. However, once you get there, what is one to do with their bike?

During a few recent trips I noticed a bicycle locked to the station platform at the Cavalcade Red Line station. METRO itself even admitted that no, the standing rails at the station are not intended to be bicycle racks. Given there are no bicycle racks here or at many other stations, and that bicycles are technically prohibited from being transported in the rail cars during rush hours (from 6:30 AM to 9 AM, and again from 3 PM to 6 PM), it leaves one with a transit conundrum. The answer is, "I'm going to lock this up at the station so I can ride it back home when I am done with my workday."

All this to say, if we are going to advocate for Complete Streets and transit oriented development, there needs to be a consideration about those that must walk or bike that extra connection to their residence or place of work. Simply adding bicycle racks at stations may provide some assurance to riders that they can secure their bicycles in a designated area.  As METRO shifts their bus routes around altering service for many, there may be increased demand for rail lines, with some people choosing to bridge that gap between the beginning and end of their trips, with a bicycle ride.

Are these meant to be bike racks or simply standing railings along the @MetroRailNorth, @METROHouston? pic.twitter.com/aurT43Mygu
— Christopher Andrews (@chrisandrewsCDA) June 26, 2014

@chrisandrewsCDA @MetroRailNorth Apologies for the delay in responding. No, these are not intended to be bike racks.
— Houston METRO (@METROHouston) June 30, 2014

It's possible METRO can consider the addition of bicycle facilities to their stations one the Downtown, East End and Southeast lines are completed. Minneapolis / Saint Paul's MetroTransit system has rentable lockers located at certain stations, while other cities, especially those in Europe, such as Germany and the Netherlands, create storage infrastructure centered at many of their stations. (Some stations have problems with too many bicycles, like this one in the Netherlands!)

Credit: MetroTransit

METRO's bicycle boarding on bus routes rose by 47% from January 2013 to January 2014. That's a significant spike, and with the increased access to rail, it's not too much to think that bicycle boarding will increase on rail lines as well. It's an opportunity for METRO to start thinking a bit bigger about transit oriented development, and consider some additional amenities to rail stations to accommodate Houston's increasing density and desire for public transit.

 Erzhausen, Germany train station

Bicycle storage in the Netherlands

Disappearing Urban Drinking Fountains; The Search For Houston's Best Bathrooms and Drinking Fountains

There are too many parts of my life that are shaped by Seinfeld. Much like George Costanza, I pride myself on being able to "sniff out a deal" or find the best public drinking fountain, toilet or restroom in a given area. I normally avoid trying to pay for bottled water since, like Jim Gaffigan says, I can get it "free from any faucet."

The problem is, there's not as many free faucets anymore where one can re-hydrate. I found this out as I walked through Downtown Houston on my lunch hour, ending up at Discovery Green. It's an especially compounded problem since our building does not have working drinking fountains. (More on that later.) So, I thought to myself, "Where are Houston's, and especially Downtown Houston's, nicest drinking fountains and public toilets?"

Restrooms

In Seinfeld's "The Busboy" episode from season two Jerry quizzes George on the best public toilets in New York City. When given an address, George comes up with what he calls "magnificent facilities". This quest is not lost in urban life today. There are smart phone applications that rate public toilets in cities, such as Sit or Squat, aptly sponsored by Charmin. There's also the Where to Wee app from Cintas. There is no lack of data about our restroom habits; including how often we use our feet to flush a toilet. (Guilty! I'm not touching that handle...)

Hotel Icon, the Hilton, the Westin and the Magnolia Hotel all have excellent facilities. Hotel bathrooms are typically great places of refuge, however, public parks are typically known for a lack of cleanliness, if they have bathrooms at all. Only Houston's Discovery Green has full restroom facilities.

Hopefully Houstonians can help compile a list to find "Houston's Most Magnificent Facilities". I've started to list a few on a Google Map, so feel free to add your suggestions at the bottom of the page. Houston, where are the best drinking fountains and public restrooms?

Drinking Fountains

For as hot and humid as Houston is there seems to be a very small number of public drinking fountains, which is a prevailing trend in most cities. Elizabeth Royte in the New York Times suggested that New York City expend some of its resources on placing public drinking fountains all over the place. It's a more realistic suggestion than Jerry Seinfeld's suggestion of putting those airport moving sidewalks all over New York City. Royte brings to mind our culture of convenience and the cost that comes with it. The processing, packaging and transportation of bottled water uses a good deal of fossil fuels when compared to your standard tap water. Royte says that some cities have been proactive in dissolving contracts with bottled water suppliers, while promoting their own tap supplies. Royte closes with the thought that installing more fountains is "a small price to pay to quench thirst, reduce bottle litter, slash our collective carbon footprint and reaffirm our connection with the city’s most valuable resource: its public water supply."

It's not only in Houston or New York, but New Orleans, and really, in the public realm of cities all over the country. I noticed this on a recent trip to the Crescent City, and came across "Bring Back The Water Fountain" from Nancy Stoner, Acting Assistant Administrator for Water at the US Environmental Protection Agency. You can get a Hurricane or Grenade in New Orleans on almost every corner, but a drinking fountain somewhere on the street? Good luck.

Public drinking fountains are disappearing from collegiate and professional athletic arenas. They're disappearing from rest areas. And may new drinking fountains are being supplied by non-profits, not municipalities. This trend is prevalent in every part of the country, so it should come as no surprise that drinking fountains are either disappearing or not being maintained here in Houston.

Author and Co-founder and President of the Pacific Institute Peter Gleick investigates the trends of bottled water growth and the disappearance of drinking fountains in his book Bottled and Sold: The Story Behind Our Obsession with Bottled Water. Bottom line, people love the convenience of bottled water, but they still want drinking fountains.

The issue of public drinking fountains strikes a nerve with me because it's something that impacts me every day. Our our building, the Bob Lanier Public Works Building, does not have any working drinking fountains. That's why I make my daily trip to the Julia Ideson Library to refill. And, by looking at our city's Capital Improvement Plan for the next number of years, it doesn't look like we can expect new fountains or plumbing anytime soon. But, there are drinking fountain upgrades being planned for City Hall and the City Hall Annex in both the 2014-2018 Adopted Capital Improvement Plan, as well as the 2015-2019 Proposed Capital Improvement Plan, in order to bring those fountains into compliance to "meet the State's accessibility requirements." There must not be any requirement in providing drinking water in a public building. For a city that chronicles its history of providing drinking water, its hard to fathom why its own Department of Public Works building has no operational drinking fountains.

Public Health and Drinking Fountains

"Shape Up Houston" is a public health initiative aiming to "increase awareness and encourage action surrounding the unsustainable level of obesity and its impact on the health and well being of our community." An admirable effort without a doubt. Shape Up Houston advocates for a life-long change in lifestyle as opposed to short-term dieting strategies. Again, something that needs to be done. But I would think that the lack of provision of drinking water in our building, and in many other public places, plays a role in obesity and well-being. A lack of water access must drive people to quench their thirst and unnecessarily take in loads of sugar and calories with sugary drinks. These sugary drinks seem to be more easily accessible with a quick walk to Houston's tunnel system as opposed to drinking water, which is only now provided through coffee or water clubs. And, in most urban areas, including Downtown Houston, soda or pop, and even alcohol, is a cheaper alternative to water.

The link between the provision of drinking fountains and obesity is something that is seriously being studied, and has gained the attention of those in the medical community, and the United Nations Human Rights Council sees access to drinking water as a basic human right. In a study in the United Kingdom it was revealed that only 11 percent of public parks had drinking fountains (bubblers!). For a country that once boasted an array of drinking fountains, 11 percent is low. London is pushing for a greater number of drinking fountains, especially in parks and near transit stations. This is a great idea, especially for a hot and humid locale such as Houston. Without drinking fountains, there is no incentive for children or adults to curb their sugary drink intake.

A recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study examined water consumption among secondary school children in California. The results aren't surprising. California schools must provide free drinking water in food consumption areas, but only about four percent of students drank the provided water. It's unclear from the study if students drank their own bottled water. If there was no water provided, I would guess the numbers would be lower.

My Downtown Walk: Houston's Public Drinking Fountains and Restrooms

Market Square - Downtown's newest park is fit with three drinking fountains, however, two of the three are within the park's dog run area. Best of luck navigating that area. I hope this doesn't indicate that dog usage comes with higher consideration in the design of our parks than humans usage does. Also, how do these fountains drain the water that might not make it into your, and everyone else's, mouth? Restrooms are available, but are intended for Niko Niko's customers only.

Discovery Green - It's Houston's only downtown park with fully accessible restrooms, and surprisingly only two drinking fountains. One is tucked away in the dining area of The Lake House restaurant within the park, and the other is adjacent to the park's playground area. It's great to see the placement of that drinking fountain, but with such a large park in Downtown Houston, additional fountains might serve visitors well. A surprising fact about Discovery Green is that there are an equal number of dog drinking fountains in the dog run area as there are drinking fountains to serve the park's human visitors. If you can't find the drinking fountains you can always visit The Lake House and buy a $1.50 bottle of water.

When dog drinking fountains equal the number of human drinking fountains, we have stopped designing parks for people.

Some Observations from my Downtown Houston Walk

Hermann Square - There aren't any drinking fountains in front of Houston City Hall, but while the fountain in front of City Hall is being upgraded, it would be a perfect opportunity to run another water line to add a drinking fountain. On hot days visitors and downtown workers might love that.

Tranquility Park - There are two drinking fountains in Downtown Houston's Tranquility Park, where you can regularly see homeless folks gather to hydrate or brush their teeth. But, sadly, only one drinking fountain is flowing.

Root Memorial Square Park - This is a gem of a park tucked on the southeast side of Downtown Houston in the shadows of the Toyota Center, with one cold drinking fountain.

Jones Plaza - It was the coldest drinking fountain I found, but it's hidden from sight from the street. It's good to know about on hot days. There are also restrooms, but only open when there are special events at the plaza. (Events rarely happen here though, disappointingly.)

Main Street - Across from Houston's Greenstreet shopping center are the only two drinking fountains I can find that are in the public right of way, and are not in parks. They're cold, and they work.

Heights Boulevard - There are drinking fountains at I-10, 7th Street, 11th Street and 20th Street, much to the appreciation of those running up and down the boulevard.

Hotel Icon, the Hilton Americas, Magnolia Hotel and Westin Houston Downtown have some of the nicest public restrooms downtown, as well as drinking fountains.

For a dark horse in both categories though, I nominate the facilities at the Houston Library's Julia Ideson Building. Yes, I'm sure there are better facilities, especially in places like hotels, and specifically Hotel Icon (my winner in the hotel bathroom category), but for a public facility it's quite magnificent. Houston, let's hear about your "magnificent facilities".

The Limit Does Not Exist in Houston - Borrowing A Line From Mean Girls

The limit does not exist. At least not here in Houston.

Officials from the Greater Houston Partnership economic development group revealed a new campaign this week labelled "Houston: The City With No Limits", hoping that it will continue to attract young professionals and corporate executives to the City of Houston, and more importantly, the greater Houston region.

Before we too far ahead of ourselves, let's be honest and admit that Houston has its limits. To borrow a joke from Tory Gattis at Houston Strategies: If you're talking about the physical city limits of Houston, no, it doesn't really feel like there are any limits!

If you're a fan of Mean Girls (I know you're out there!), you will know that Lindsay Lohan's character Cady Heron wins North Shore High School the Illinois High School Mathletes State Championship by correctly identifying that a particular math problem has no limit. If I were the Greater Houston Partnership, I might be asking Lindsay Lohan to do a reprisal of her role for a forthcoming campaign. The young professional crowd would probably identify with the humor!

But let's be real. Houston has some limits, unlike Cady's math problem. All cities have limits, and we can't claim some sort of Houston Exceptionalism right now.

Some might wonder why a campaign like this is even necessary. Houston is leading American cities in total net migration, and dominating the share of the domestic migration. Houston has already been a leader in international migrants as well. And, like the previous four years, Houston was ranked as the number one destination city in 2013 for U-Haul. People are moving to Houston regardless of a snazzy new campaign.

When you look at the brand strength of Houston when compared to other cities, it really is remarkable that so many companies and individuals are willing, and in many cases excited, to relocate to Houston. So, this is why these marketing tools are most likely worthwhile.

When looking at the top branded cities in the world, Houston doesn't crack the top 50. Out of 57 cities listed in a Saffron / Guardian Cities global brand survey, Houston wasn't included, and it's not hard to understand why. Houston's not considered a top shopping destination, nor does it rank among the top cities as a financial center or location for tech start-ups, and certainly not one of the top cities for transit infrastructure. If you look at the metadata, Houston was only ranked in one metadata category: "Top 25 Hot Spots by 2025", and specifically for the city's projected Gross Domestic Product. For Houstonians, we might be perfectly fine with that, as Houston is not widely regarded as a tourist destination, and that is what most of these Saffron / Guardian Cities categories seem to measure.

Houston is seen by some as the next great American city, however, there is not a place where segregation and inequality are so prevalent. In Smithsonian Magazine's article, What Makes Houston the Next Great American City?, the point is made that Houston has "the Texas Medical Center, the finest medical facility in the world, but we also have the highest percentage of kids without health care. The inequality is so clear here."

Houston has some of the highest crime rates in the country, and unfortunately contains two of the country's top-25 most dangerous neighborhoods. We have some of the worst traffic and congestion in the country, or some think in the Western Hemisphere. That was in 2013, and it's even worse in 2014! Houston has some of the dirtiest air in the country. It probably has to do with all that traffic congestion and our sprawling suburbs. Houston has historically been difficult to navigate. Nothing will be more welcoming than hopping off a plane and sitting in the limitless traffic on beautiful I-45 from either of Houston's airports, or then realizing the vastly limited transit options that exist to get you to your final destination. Houston's growth has forced many to bear the financial and time-related burdens of car ownership. Thankfully, METRO Houston is working on a reimagined bus network that will provide more frequent access to job centers across the city, and allow people to use their cars less frequently should they choose. Houston has also been ranked as one of the world's ugliest cities (and deservedly so in many respects).

I don't intend to be too harsh on Houston. It's my home, and I love it despite its flaws. Of course, the list can go on and on, and we can continue to find flaws everywhere we look. This is applicable to every city, not only Houston. We shouldn't be blind to that fact. But, of course, a city wouldn't stand a chance at gaining a competitive advantage in anything if it honestly listed its shortcomings. (I wonder what those slogans might look like!)

It is understandable that campaigns and slogans like this need to be generated for cities to continue to attract attention from around the country, and around the world. Without a doubt, Houston is a city that has pushed the limits of the known world, propelling humans into space, cooling and enclosing gigantic sports facilities, creating artificial hearts that extend lives, and fueling the world's gas guzzling cars.

But, Houston has yet to find an asset that it can continue to market that either hasn't been underfunded and discontinued (the space program and Space City, and this slogan is even emblazoned on our city's police department patches), has had its status wither away (with the Rockets and Clutch City), draws attention to a noxious byproduct of our riches (as the world's oil and gas capital), or has been grossly under capitalized (Bayou City), although the Buffalo Bayou Partnership is doing an amazing job at ensuring that Houston's most important natural feature can be enjoyed by residents, and used as an asset for the city, rather than just a conduit for roadway runoff. Buffalo Bayou Park will be a tremendous asset for Houston, and will lend some credibility to our name as the Bayou City.

Marketing cities is just like every marketing campaign. Your audience and message will change, and the simple fact that money is being spent to promote Houston will probably bring some benefit. If nothing else, this campaign helps to put a picture and description on the greater Houston region, much like this Swamplot article summarizes. If it's good for bringing business to Houston, all the better. We'll see how it pans out. However, it is somewhat of an easy target with all the sprawl jokes!

I love Houston, and I hope we continue to provide our citizens and visitors with the best services and products around. I also hope we continue to make our mark around the country and around the world as trendsetters, trailblazers and innovators. We just need to be honest with our assessments at times. There's much to be proud about, but the work can't stop in making Houston a desirable place to live, work or visit.

"Ride" Your New METRO Route

Nearly two weeks ago the Metropolitan Transit Authority for Harris County, Houston, Texas (METRO) released their System Reimagining proposal, arguably METRO's biggest service adjustment in its existence. The reimagining process was led by transit planner Jerrett Walker, with assistance from Christof Spieler, a METRO Board member, Kurt Luhrsen, METRO's Senior Manager for Planning, and Geoff Carleton, a Houston-based transportation consultant. A reimagined 5-year service plan can be found here.

METRO is currently welcoming feedback on the system, both positive and negative. I hope that most feedback will be positive, as the system should provide an opportunity for ridership for more people, and to a larger area of the Houston region, without an increase in costs or major infrastructure improvements! The reimagined system helps to reduce redundancies in system coverage and increases the number of "frequent" bus routes throughout the region, creating a grid-like network of bus routes where riders rely on transfers to reach their destinations. It's something that officials will hope entices those who commute by car to make a switch to public transit.

As I looked at the new routes through the Houston Heights neighborhood and how they would impact my personal commute, I began to think about the changes that METRO may need to institute to accommodate more riders and the increase in transfers that will result as a product of the proposed reimagined routes. You can examine proposed routes online to learn their physical route and frequencies, as well as documents that list major activity centers, transfer opportunities and transit center and park and ride connections.

I thought there would be no better way to examine these proposed new routes by getting out on a bicycle and taking note of the infrastructure improvements needed to accommodate new riders, and new routes. You can do the same, and then send your comments to METRO. So, grab your bike and start peddling, or put on your walking shoes and start taking note of necessary METRO improvements. It's time for Houstonians to own their transit routes.

50 - Heights / 11 Heights-Dallas

For the purpose of this analysis, I rode what would be a common route for Houston Heights residents commuting to Downtown Houston. (I did not ride the entire route, but this analysis can provide an example of how you might be able to evaluate and improve the proposed bus routes). The current 50-Heights route is planned to be replaced with the 11-Heights-Dallas route. It would no longer be a frequent route throughout the day, but would have 20 minute headway during its peak times, with a 30 minute base headway. You can examine the differences in the route by looking at the current and proposed route maps.

North 610 Loop to 20th Street

20th Street at Heights

As you follow the proposed 11-Heights route on Yale from the I-610 Loop south to 20th Street, you can notice that there are current 66-Yale route signs already posted, so a simple renumbering would be easy. This would apply to many of the METRO routes already in service. However, with an increased reliance on transfers and routes that have lower headways, riders may desire shelter from the Houston sun, heat, and downpours. There is nothing more uncomfortable than waiting for transportation without shelter from the elements. Between I-610 and 20th Street there are only shelters on 20th Street.

20th Street and Yale

20th Street is an important transfer point on METRO's reimagined system, carrying a frequent route, aptly named the 20-MLK Lockwood Cavalcade route. It also is a transfer route to METRO's Red Line light rail further to the east, providing access to downtown Houston and anywhere within the METRO Rail network. The existing shelters are good for transfer riders. The crossing at 20th and Yale is near Hamilton Middle School, a Kroger, CVS, Walgreens and McDonalds, as well as the Houston Heights 19th Street shopping district, and may see a higher volume of transfers since it is located near a major activity center. With an increase of transfer riders crossing major thoroughfares, attention must be brought to crossing infrastructure. New striping of roadway crosswalks will provide greater visibility of pedestrians, and increase drivers' attention to pedestrians, especially as they cross the streets to utilize the transfer shelters situated on 20th Street.

20th Street to 11th Street

19th Street shelters

Examining the reimagined METRO system reveals that bus service is no longer planned on 19th Street in the Houston Heights, as the current 50-Heights route will be eliminated. This means the existing bus shelter at 19th Street and Heights will no longer be needed. Given that there are no shelters between 20th and 11th streets on the proposed 11-Heights route, relocation would provide protection for riders. Shelters at 14th Street, or any other cross street would serve riders well.

Current shelters at 11th Street shall remain useful as a reconfigured 40-Pecore route is proposed to be replaced with the 17-Ella 11th Clinton route. This route will connect western parts of the Heights and the Garden Oaks and Oak Forest subdivisions to Downtown Houston and other frequent routes on 20th Street, Shepherd and Studewood.

Southbound Heights Boulevard at 11th Street

11th and Heights Boulevard

11th Street to I-10

As I worked my way south, I noticed that there we no other shelters, other than the transfer shelters on northbound Heights south of White Oak, and southbound Heights at 5th Street. These shelters could be reallocated to provide protection for transfers of the proposed 16-White Oak Quitman route. It is also important to note the changing development pattern near Yale and Heights at White Oak (6th Street). The 360-unit Alexan Heights apartment complex is currently being constructed, with others complexes, like the Alexan Yale, planned for nearby blocks.

7th and Heights Boulevard; Alexan Heights construction

Heights at 6th Street

One can presume that most of the housing being built in this area of the Heights will be luxury apartments, and will look to attract young workers who would easily be able to commute to their downtown jobs. It will be important to invest in infrastructure that can accommodate and encourage transit use. It is not enough to simply react to transit demand. In the case of low-cost infrastructure like bus shelters, benches and trash cans, it is important to provide these accommodations to entice riders.

I-10 to Washington Avenue

South of I-10 Heights Boulevard has 5 bus shelters within a two block span. Riders along the route shopping at Walmart, visiting the West End Multi-Service Center or living in the Alta Heights apartments have ample protection from the elements. These shelters will be important to preserve with the reimagined routes, as wait times for buses will be longer.

Bus shelter at Heights and Koehler

Bus shelter at the Alta Heights apartments

Bus shelter on northbound Heights north of Washington Avenue

Heights Boulevard / Waugh and Washington Avenue Intersection

As you travel southbound on Heights Avenue approaching Washington Avenue, you will notice a triangular median guarding southbound traffic on Heights from traffic turning right onto westbound Washington Avenue. This median-island-type-thing could provide an area for a bus stop on southbound Heights Boulevard at Washington Avenue, which does not currently exist. The next closest stop on Heights Boulevard southbound is at Center Street, which would drop riders off one block north of a potential transfer route, 14-Washington. A stop may be able to be placed on the triangular median, providing some pedestrian refuge.

Southbound Heights at Center Street

Southbound Heights at Washington Avenue

Heights and Washington Avenue

No stop exists, and one would need to be installed on northbound Waugh just south of Washington Avenue. This would allow for better transfer to the 14-Washington route. The closest northbound stop on Heights Boulevard near Washington Avenue is currently just north of Center Street, adjacent to the at-grade railroad crossing.

Connecting to the 14-Washington route may be a better option for Heights-area residents and those traveling from the north, as the downtown portion of the route covers a greater north-south span compared to the 11-Heights route, and also connects to the Downtown Transit Center.

This is another intersection at a high-frequency line that would benefit from the installation or relocation of bus shelters. Currently, there is a stop along Washington Avenue just east of Heights Boulevard that serves as a transfer point between the current 85, 36 and 50 routes. As with most Houston intersections, it would benefit from more detailed and updated crosswalk painting, especially given the frequency of the proposed 14-Washington route.

Whole Foods

As a major grocery destination, and located along a frequent route for downtown travelers, stops located near Whole Foods may be worthwhile. There are currently no stops at Waugh and Damico Street and may serve riders well as a stopping point along their route to pick up lunch or other groceries on their way to and from work.

Damico Street at Waugh Drive

Waugh Drive at Dallas Street

Waugh Drive crosswalk at Dallas Street

Dallas and Waugh Intersection

The intersection at Dallas and Waugh will serve as a dividing point between the 10-Kirby Dallas Polk and 11-Heights Dallas routes. For Heights-area residents travelling to the Medical Center, this would be the appropriate transfer point to access The Medical Center Transit Center.

This intersection is also closest to the soon-to-open The Sovereign apartment tower, which will serve as a foundation for the planned Regency Square mixed use development and city district. The apartments will be marketed to "well-paid 25- to 45-year-old professional singles and couples". This is a demographic that may desire public transit access to commute, as opposed to driving their cars.

This intersection currently has no crossing signals, which is a danger to transferring pedestrians. There is currently only one shelter at this intersection, southbound Waugh just north of Dallas, serving the current 34 route. With an increased number of pedestrians, bus shelters, trash cans and benches become needed amenities.

Dallas and Montrose Boulevard Intersection

As you ride along Dallas between Waugh and Studemont, poor curb cuts that make for difficult sidewalk accessibility to bus stops. As the corridor continues to increase in its density and add multifamily properties, it will be important to ensure accessibility to all transit riders. Modifying curb cuts is one place to start.

The Dallas and Studemont intersection will be another important transfer point between two frequent routes. The proposed north-south 54-Airline Montrose route provides access for east Heights residents to The Medical Center Transit Center, the Northline Mall Transit Center, with connection to the Metro Rail red line, and points in between. Bus stops on both southbound and northbound Montrose Boulevard will need to be installed at Dallas Street.

This intersection also lies adjacent to the site of the Axis Apartments at 2400 Dallas that were slated to open this spring, but suffered a destructive fire in late March. It should be expected that the site will lay vacant for some time, but will eventually be rebuilt as a multifamily property. With this in mind, METRO would serve riders well to install shelters at the stops along Dallas, as well as at the required new stops along Montrose Boulevard, north and south of Dallas.

Axis Apartments - Dallas at Montrose

Montrose at Dallas intersection

Montrose crosswalk at Dallas

As a transfer point between two frequent routes, pedestrian crossing signals will need to be installed. There is crosswalk painting on Montrose and Dallas, but it will need to be refreshed, providing a better signal to drivers of the crosswalks at the intersection.

Dallas between Montrose and Downtown Houston

Dallas continues toward the east, reaching downtown Houston after passing through what is known as the Fourth Ward. This stretch of Dallas some of the nicest views of the Downtown Houston skyline, flanked by multifamily properties with small setbacks, creating that tunneling feeling seen in most other large cities. The land use along the corridor is becoming more intense, as multifamily properties and townhouses have taken place of single family and long-time vacant properties. As the population along the corridor increases, public transit to Downtown Houston will be important, as Houston's central business district is just a short ride away.

West Dallas

This stretch along Dallas is home to one of METRO's loneliest looking bus stop shelters, located on the south side of Dallas between Bailey and Wilson streets. Given the surrounding land uses, I am curious as to the justification for a shelter along this block. The block between Bailey and Wilson is completely vacant, with a cemetery located just to its east. There are townhouses that continue to be constructed in the area, but the closest multifamily property is located a block and a half away. This is another example of a relocation of resources that can better serve METRO riders.

West Dallas Street at Bailey Street

A contender for METRO's loneliest inner-loop bus stop

The route makes its way into Downtown Houston turning along McKinney Street, making its way east, looping around Discovery Green before heading west again along Lamar Street. If the route continues to utilize the same streets, it will be a route that travels along the planned reduction of Avenida de las Americas. The area between Discovery Green and the George R. Brown Convention Center is proposed to be turned into a pedestrian plaza, with areas for retail and recreation, almost acting as an extension of Discovery Green. The plan is proposed by Houston First, which aims for completion of the project in time for the 2017 Super Bowl.

Conclusions

• For Heights residents, the proposed 11-Heights route will be a great connection to parts of Montrose, Whole Foods, Discovery Green and Downtown Houston. However, given the largely east-west route, transit riders may find that transferring to the 14-Washington will provide better coverage to Downtown Houston.
• Riders from the Heights may also find it convenient to take the proposed frequent 20-MLK Lockwood Cavalcade route to the METRO Rail red line into downtown. It's easy to see that there are now more transit options for Houston residents as a whole, with options that allow riders to travel a greater distance.
• Reallocating resources will serve METRO well in providing comfort and convenience for riders, especially now that many more riders will depend on transfers and may be waiting at stops they normally would not have had to stop at when compared to existing routes.
• Most importantly, METRO and the City of Houston must focus on improving the pedestrian realm along frequent bus corridors and at transfer points. This includes adding striped (zebra) crossings and crosswalk signals. METRO and the City of Houston can seize this opportunity to create driver awareness, and possibly a bit of civic pride by using some creative crosswalk designs, with relatively low overhead in simply painting and updating crosswalks. It's amazing what a new coat of paint can do for some intersections.
• Houston is known for its ambition. Certainly not in transportation, but in technology, energy and exploration. If you've ever been to METRO's headquarters downtown, or traveled on almost any other major transit system in major U.S. cities recently, you will see realtime transit updates. METRO provides this information through their RideMETRO smartphone application, but METRO can be even more ambitious in providing this technology at high-volume transfer points, as well as expanding the technology along METRO Rail routes to provide riders with information about bus transfer routes.
• Houston drivers are already the least courteous and some of the most dangerous drivers in the United States, so pedestrian accidents and close calls, like this one along Allen Parkway, will continue to be the norm. In fact, a study recently released by Smart Growth USA entitled "Dangerous by Design", ranked Houston as the 7th most dangerous city for pedestrians. City officials say that certain intersections have adequate crossings, but adequate shouldn't be the norm when a transit system is going to make more people cross major thoroughfares to access their bus routes. 

Crosswalk in Redmond, Washington

Houstonians, own your city, and own your transit. Take a walk, a drive, or a grab your helmet and take a bike ride and document the necessary improvements that will make your commute, and those of other Houstonians, more enjoyable, efficient, and safe. Gather your thoughts, and be sure to send your feedback to METRO. Go ahead, and ride your route!

I hope that METRO continues to promote this reimagining effort and uses all the tools at their disposal to educate riders of the changes being made, as well as the benefits of public transit. This is a large overhaul of a transit system that many people depend on, even when many people question its credibility. Certainly, ridership on METRO's system is not because of a lack of advertising, but probably due to a lack of credibility among riders because of unreliable or uncomfortable service. METRO has a golden opportunity to educate Houston-area residents of the goals and benefits of the reimaging, and how it may affect people's commutes and daily lives. METRO may also seek to take an approach much like Chicago's Metra commuter rail system, or the Orange County (CA) Transportation Authority, educating the public and "taking viewers along for the ride aboard vanpools, carpools, trains, buses and bikes" in their recent Adventure Series.

Bonus Route: Portion of 14-Washington

Washington Avenue and Houston Avenue and Washington Avenue and Sawyer Street
Both intersections serve as transfer points to other less frequent routes, and are not served well by bus shelters. There is one shelter along eastbound Washington Avenue before Sawyer Street that currently serves the 50-Heights and 36-Kempwood Lawndale route, and currently no other shelters, or even bus stops at the corners of Washington Avenue and Sawyer. Stops would need to be added on the northwest, northeast and southeast corners.

Lack of stops at Washington and Sawyer

Current stops on Washington Avenue at Studemont

Studemont crosswalk at Washington Avenue

A stop needed at southbound Studemont at Washington Avenue

The Washington Avenue at Studemont intersection is another intersection of two frequent routes, where bus stops would need to be added on northbound and southbound Studemont, and a shelter added on westbound Washington Avenue. There is adequate crosswalk signalization and painting, and will serve riders well.