- Electro Tech Industries Acquires 115K-SF Industrial Building at 303 W. Little York [Realty News Report]
- LGI Homes Sells Record 331 New Homes in June, Up 36% from June 2014 [Realty News Report]
- Officials Plan To Tear Down Old City Incinerator on 71st St. That’s Been Closed Since 1955 [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
- Ronnie Killen Moving Steakhouse to Malibu Steak & Seafood Spot, Converting Current Spot into Burger Joint Previously Planned for Former Gas Station [Culturemap; previously on Swamplot]
- The Chicken Ranch Closes on North Main St. Following Lease Dispute, Looking for a New Home [Culturemap; previously on Swamplot]
- Songkran Thai Kitchen Opens Second Houston-Area Location, in Sugar Land Town Square Plaza [Prime Property]
- Surveillance Video Shows Thieves Using Backhoe To Smash Way into Warthog Firearms on Main St. in Old Town Spring [abc13]
- Should Lee, Reagan, Davis High School and Dowling, Jackson, and Johnston Middle Schools Be Renamed? [Houston Chronicle]
- Old Timers Stop by To Reminisce About Westbury Square [KHOU; previously on Swamplot]
Photo of Memorial Hermann Memorial City: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool
Headlines
“Unfortunately it will take much more than sprucing up Buffalo Bayou Park to make Houston a more pleasant place. The big problem is that for most people in Houston, the only way to get to a nice place like BBP is the only way you can get anywhere — by car. And that fact alone will take years of political will, planning, and hard work to change. And as long as it doesn’t change, Houston will remain what it is currently: a road system that people sleep and work around.
The primary datum in a place like NY is the human body. Planning with the human body as the primary reference point generally makes for a pleasant place for people. Here in Houston, the primary unit of reference is the automobile, as such Houston primarily accommodates cars, not people. Scale matters. Infrastructure (such as sidewalks, small neighborhood parks, bike lanes, rails, etc) matters.
Buffalo Bayou Park is a nice place because it is designed for people. Houston on the other hand . . .
In terms of civic amenities and property values, ‘you can’t have both’ only in the market as it currently exists. We ought to be able to have a decent city and also live in it, but that can’t happen until we decide to decide that enough’s enough and begin actually planning our city.
There are people and institutions in Houston working hard to that end, but so far they are too much ‘a voice in the [civic] wilderness.’ I’m optimistic though. I see people noticing what makes a nice city, where our shortcomings are, and working toward implementing necessary changes.” [
“When I see the improvements come on line at Buffalo Bayou, I keep thinking to myself ‘what’s the catch? Are these on loan from another city? Will Culberson make us take them down so he can build a new highway?’ But it is really happening. Buffalo Bayou is really turning into Houston’s Central Park (NY’s version does have a private restaurant right in the middle of it–Tavern on the Green). The nature playground on the east end is getting finishing touches as well as the performance space and snack bar over the old waterworks. The only problem I have encountered is the mud that slides down the banks and accumulates on the trails after a heavy rain. But it is much better than it used to be. Who knows. Maybe this is for real. And maybe people will actually start moving to Houston because it is a nice place to live.” [
