COMMENT OF THE DAY: DRAWING A LINE ON URBAN EXPANSION 
“Here is a thought: Cities are just too big. Look at Shanghai — great public transit system, but streets are choked with traffic. People on scooters ride almost shoulder to shoulder. People pay over $20k a year for a permit to be able to use the highways because you simply cannot move on the side streets in a passenger car. London has crazy vehicle congestion charges. Overnight garage contracts in NY, Boston, etc. cost as much as a decent sized house in the suburbs. Yet, every city in the US jumps up and down at the idea of growth. Maybe it is time for civic leaders to just tell people to stay away — no room on the roads. Or state legislatures could pass bans on moving to certain metro areas and require people to move to smaller towns/cities to help them revitalize. La Grange is a lovely place. Next time someone tries to move to Austin and choke up I-35 even more, Gov. Abbot could order them to move to La Grange instead.” [Old School, commenting on Comment of the Day: On the Other Side of the Tracks] Illustration: Lulu
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COMMENT OF THE DAY: CYCLING THROUGH TRAFFIC JAMS ON THE ROAD TO THE AMERICAN DREAM 
“The real crux of the issue here is that Americans are constantly sold on the idea that cars represent ultimate freedom and prosperity. That image breaks down when crowds of commuters start forming giant, slow-moving, panic-inducing trains of automobiles. The cognitive dissonance causes automobilists to latch on to the only solution they can imagine: ‘wider roads will restore that feeling of freedom.’ Of course, it never really works out that way.” [Derek, commenting on Which Came First: the Traffic or the Freeway Lanes?] Illustration: Lulu
COMMENT OF THE DAY: SIZING UP HOUSTON’S REFINERY BOOM 
” . . . The total investment ongoing in the Petrochemical complex is about $50 billion. 1000 Main sold in 2014 (after the crash was underway) for $0.5 billion. There are about 50 skyscrapers in downtown. Therefore, with the investment ongoing in the Petro complex, we could rebuild downtown Houston twice with only our classiest of class A skyscrapers.” [awp, commenting on A Tale of 2 Houstons During the Oil Bust; Inside 500 Crawford] Illustration: Lulu
COMMENT OF THE DAY: INSTIGATING LATITUDINAL PROPRIETY IN HOUSTON’S PALETTE 
” . . . Houston is a colorful town. The skies are usually blue. The live oaks stay green in the winter. Azaleas, wildflowers, oleanders and crepe myrtles color our city throughout the warm months. Our interior design should not be inspired by landscapes that are above the Arctic Circle. Houston is a dynamic, multicultural city. We do not have to snap into line with the latest design fad. We can do better. Please. Just try it. One time. That is all I am asking.” [Old School, commenting on An Early Peek at the Galleria’s New Saks 5th Avenue Space and the Restaurant Inside] Illustration: Lulu
COMMENT OF THE DAY: KICK BACK, RELAX, AND ENJOY THE BUST “Downturn or not, Houston was so lacking in new development, ALL of what is getting built needed to be built . . . we were sooooooo far behind. The building boom allowed Houston to catch up to where it should have been — so these other delays/cancels are good for now. The pent-up demand will fill up what’s already in the works, and the delays/cancels can get after it at another time. What Houston has developed in the last several years has transformed the city, for the better. During the slowdown, we can catch our breathe and savor/enjoy the successes of the recent boom, and regroup and prepare for the next great haul.” [TXT, commenting on The University of Texas ‘Invasion’; Houston’s Hottest Neighborhoods] Illustration: Lulu
COMMENT OF THE DAY: HOW NATURAL SELECTION ELIMINATES HOUSTON PEDESTRIANS 
“Biology has words to describe the relationship between parking and driving. ‘Arms race’ and ‘co-evolution’ fit pretty well. If you find a creature that has evolved to devote a lot of its energy to producing toxins, you’ll find some other creature that has evolved to survive those toxins — the two are in an arms race with each other, and have co-evolved these capabilities. One becomes a little more toxic, the other becomes a little more immune to that toxin. Other organisms can’t invade that relationship because they aren’t toxic enough or immune enough. From this perspective, large parking lots and heavy reliance on cars can be seen as Houston’s defense mechanism. Houston is immune to walkability because driving and parking have co-evolved to such extremes here. There’s no stable strategy to provide a path from where we are to where the new urbanists want to be.” [Memebag, commenting on Houston’s Pothole Progress; Reagan HS Name Staying for Now] Illustration: Lulu
RUNNER-UP COMMENT OF THE DAY: READY FOR ICING OUTSIDE THE INNER LOOP 
” . . . I think the real opportunity to expand affordable housing is in Houston’s ‘donut of despair’. The area between 610 and the Beltway (except around the Spring Branch area) is full of acres and acres of empty land. With a huge push from the City, these areas could be redeveloped into truly affordable neighborhoods with homes in the $150-250k range.” [Old School, commenting on Houston Home Sales Continue To Tumble; One More Link in the Grand Parkway] Illustration: Lulu
COMMENT OF THE DAY: AN INSIDE-THE-LOOP STATUS REPORT 
“I am a real estate agent in the Heights-Montrose area. While sales are down a bit in volume, prices are still slowly rising. Correct: 2014 was a banner year, the likes of which may not be seen again for another few years. We are seeing price reductions on listings that were speculating the continuation of the rapid price increases — however, when the prices are brought down, they still sell. Here inside the Loop, we are quite busy, and the good stuff under 500k is moving nicely.” [Freddie, commenting on Houston Home Sales Continue To Tumble; One More Link in the Grand Parkway] Illustration: Lulu
COMMENT OF THE DAY: ARCHIVING HOUSTON’S PAST FOR FUTURE AFFECTATION 
“I am going to put together a coffee table book called ‘When Houston Sucked’ that will document Houston’s former lack of glory. There will be photos of a half-empty Town and Country Mall . . . a picture of the 10k running route map in the old downtown YMCA that warned women not to run on the bayou trail under Memorial Drive at night . . . a map showing the work of serial killers and arsonists in the Heights . . . and lots of pictures of strip malls and garden-style apartment complexes. All the yuppies, hipsters, and millenials need to understand that Houston used to really suck, so they can feel guilty about the ugliness we lose every day . . .” [Old School, commenting on Paradise Lost on Hempstead Rd.]
COMMENT OF THE DAY: FLIPPING HOUSES IN THE AGE OF DIGITAL SCRUTINY 
” . . . You’ve got to fill two dumpsters with trash, rip out the carpet, probably all the sheet rock at this point (to get rid of the urine smell that is probably in there), bleach clean the studs, probably sand and refinish the wooden floors downstairs to address pet stains. The bathrooms could use an update. Still though, good profit at that price, but I’d say you’ve three to four months’ work to get it onto the market — plus however much it costs to get a hacker to remove all internet traces of this listing and the photos.” [MikeH, commenting on The Champion Forest House Ruined by Animal Excrement, and the Rhinestoned Real Estate Agent Who Really Wanted You To Buy It] Photo of 5623 Willow Walk Ln.: HAR
COMMENT OF THE DAY: THE WAY OF ALL HOUSTON REAL ESTATE 
“I agree that there’s no tangible need for the Grand Parkway out there. On the other hand, I’ve owned a few hundred acres by Dayton that now have doubled in price in the last 5 years because of the anticipation of GP — so who am I to argue?” [commonsense, commenting on The Grand Parkway Segments Planned Between 59 and I-10 Are Looking for Love (or Whatever Else You Might Be Feeling)] Illustration: Lulu
COMMENT OF THE DAY: REMEMBERING THE WONDERFUL LIFE IN THE HEIGHTS 
“Back when it was a drugstore, I remember buying sodas from George Bailey when he worked there. His boss Mr. Gower ’bout ripped his damn ear off one time when he almost poisoned a kid. Old man Potter came in with his cheap housing, building all these stucco Mcmansions. Things haven’t been the same since.” [Violet, commenting on Oolala, Heights Candy Bar Calling It Quits on Studewood Storefronts] Photo: Heights Candy Bar
COMMENT OF THE DAY: WELCOMING HOUSTON’S NEW HIGH-DENSITY OVERLORDS 
“Why should the image of a small, single-family home surrounded by townhouses be frightening? This image is a symbol of the fact that Houston is the city with perhaps the single fastest ability to adapt to changing housing demand. This kind of densification is why a lot more people can afford to live close to jobs and recreation, rather than being forced into the suburbs. This picture is a sign of a vibrant, thriving neighborhood, and fills me with hope for the future.” [Angostura, commenting on Getting Ready for What 2016 Has in Store for Houston] Illustration: Lulu
COMMENT OF THE DAY: HOW DOES ALCOHOL COMPLICATE THE BARBERSHOP EXPERIENCE? 
“Do I want to drink a beer while getting my hair cut? Will it get hair in it? Is it comfortable to drink a beer while holding your head in hair-cutting position? Will I have time to finish it? I have a lot of questions about this concept.” [TacoTruck, commenting on Getting Ready for an Alcoholic Barbershop Experience Where the Parking Lot is Going Pink on E. 20th St.] Illustration: Lulu
COMMENT OF THE DAY: THE LIMITS OF OPEN CARRY 
“Jogged the Memorial loop trail yesterday with my holster and 9. Applying lots of cream today.” [J, commenting on Simon Says Don’t Bring Your Guns to the Galleria] Illustration: Lulu
