Comments on: Ring Roads of the World: Houston Wins! http://swamplot.com/ring-roads-of-the-world-houston-wins/2009-05-14/ Houston, Texas real estate development, home buying, landscape, and design Sat, 21 Nov 2009 23:25:20 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: TFinch http://swamplot.com/ring-roads-of-the-world-houston-wins/2009-05-14/#comment-38116 TFinch Fri, 07 Aug 2009 05:44:54 +0000 http://swamplot.com/?p=9075#comment-38116 Its a nice piece of academic lure. It is intriguing and made all of us think about these things- which is its true point. Would it be more "honest" if it showed that one awesome student model from a crappy studio, like the schools that begin with C and P in NYC do on a regular basis? My first reaction was: My Texas city of 200,000 has a ring road that is bigger than some of these! Why not make it circumference of ring road over population! Then we'd beat those Houston ding dongs who are always trumpeting that they are soooo special down there in that unbearable swamp city. Then I realized..."Ha Ha! Made you think!" That's what Rice is good at doing. Good luck new Dean Sarah Whiting. Those are provocative shoes you will fill- and you'll do it well. Its a nice piece of academic lure. It is intriguing and made all of us think about these things- which is its true point.

Would it be more “honest” if it showed that one awesome student model from a crappy studio, like the schools that begin with C and P in NYC do on a regular basis?

My first reaction was: My Texas city of 200,000 has a ring road that is bigger than some of these! Why not make it circumference of ring road over population! Then we’d beat those Houston ding dongs who are always trumpeting that they are soooo special down there in that unbearable swamp city.

Then I realized…”Ha Ha! Made you think!”

That’s what Rice is good at doing. Good luck new Dean Sarah Whiting. Those are provocative shoes you will fill- and you’ll do it well.

]]> By: lucas http://swamplot.com/ring-roads-of-the-world-houston-wins/2009-05-14/#comment-37327 lucas Wed, 29 Jul 2009 15:40:45 +0000 http://swamplot.com/?p=9075#comment-37327 Great job! Sugest: Plot the names in the same order of the rings: Viena first, Houston at last. Plot a scale bar (miles and km, please). Coment: Maybe the definition of Ring Roads exclude Houstom arc, or We could find another "winner" TKS Great job!

Sugest: Plot the names in the same order of the rings: Viena first, Houston at last.
Plot a scale bar (miles and km, please).

Coment: Maybe the definition of Ring Roads exclude Houstom arc, or We could find another “winner”

TKS

]]> By: RWB http://swamplot.com/ring-roads-of-the-world-houston-wins/2009-05-14/#comment-28684 RWB Wed, 20 May 2009 14:46:38 +0000 http://swamplot.com/?p=9075#comment-28684 I contacted the Rice School of Architecture, and they are out of the Ring Road poster. However, the person who contacted me hinted that they may reprint them. I contacted the Rice School of Architecture, and they are out of the Ring Road poster. However, the person who contacted me hinted that they may reprint them.

]]> By: movocelot http://swamplot.com/ring-roads-of-the-world-houston-wins/2009-05-14/#comment-28153 movocelot Fri, 15 May 2009 20:58:21 +0000 http://swamplot.com/?p=9075#comment-28153 This graphic is very pretty - a rose! Ring-rose. Yet it puts Roger Miller in my head: "Trailer for sale or rent... I'm a Man-of-Means by no means! a Ring of the Road..." This graphic is very pretty - a rose! Ring-rose.
Yet it puts Roger Miller in my head:
“Trailer for sale or rent… I’m a Man-of-Means by no means! a Ring of the Road…”

]]> By: Scott Bodenheimer http://swamplot.com/ring-roads-of-the-world-houston-wins/2009-05-14/#comment-28150 Scott Bodenheimer Fri, 15 May 2009 20:35:56 +0000 http://swamplot.com/?p=9075#comment-28150 I wonder if instead of a radial or spaghetti bowl mass transit system if we should have separate nodes (the size of Vienna) with their own radii, so we avoid the Chicago problem of "can't get there from here". I wonder if instead of a radial or spaghetti bowl mass transit system if we should have separate nodes (the size of Vienna) with their own radii, so we avoid the Chicago problem of “can’t get there from here”.

]]> By: Scott Bodenheimer http://swamplot.com/ring-roads-of-the-world-houston-wins/2009-05-14/#comment-28145 Scott Bodenheimer Fri, 15 May 2009 20:03:05 +0000 http://swamplot.com/?p=9075#comment-28145 The graphic, together with some common knowledge about other cities (Houston's population is much smaller than Mexico City or Beijing) does imply a few things: a low urban density, an arrangement of distant communities that are linked not only radially to the city center but also circuitously to others, and an enormous challenge of making mass transit financially viable. It also implies flat terrain, and a lot of open space to build upon. The graphic, together with some common knowledge about other cities (Houston’s population is much smaller than Mexico City or Beijing) does imply a few things: a low urban density, an arrangement of distant communities that are linked not only radially to the city center but also circuitously to others, and an enormous challenge of making mass transit financially viable. It also implies flat terrain, and a lot of open space to build upon.

]]> By: kjb434 http://swamplot.com/ring-roads-of-the-world-houston-wins/2009-05-14/#comment-28118 kjb434 Fri, 15 May 2009 12:49:38 +0000 http://swamplot.com/?p=9075#comment-28118 We are calling the Grand Parkway our ring road, YET! In about 5-10 years it'll be close to becoming the next ring around the Houston region. We are calling the Grand Parkway our ring road, YET!

In about 5-10 years it’ll be close to becoming the next ring around the Houston region.

]]> By: justguessin http://swamplot.com/ring-roads-of-the-world-houston-wins/2009-05-14/#comment-28084 justguessin Fri, 15 May 2009 03:18:07 +0000 http://swamplot.com/?p=9075#comment-28084 I would hesitate as well to call the grand parkway our ring without counting similar roads elsewhere. Vienna, Austria has two ring streets: the Ringstrasse (rings the inner historic district) -- you can ride the streetcar around it in less than an hour-- and the Guertel (German for belt) that is further out. The subway went beyond the Guertel, which would have made it a better measurement. I think the Ringstrasse is the one shown here. There may have even been a third ring that I knew nothing of since I had no car while living there. I would hesitate as well to call the grand parkway our ring without counting similar roads elsewhere. Vienna, Austria has two ring streets: the Ringstrasse (rings the inner historic district) — you can ride the streetcar around it in less than an hour– and the Guertel (German for belt) that is further out. The subway went beyond the Guertel, which would have made it a better measurement. I think the Ringstrasse is the one shown here. There may have even been a third ring that I knew nothing of since I had no car while living there.

]]> By: kjb434 http://swamplot.com/ring-roads-of-the-world-houston-wins/2009-05-14/#comment-28066 kjb434 Thu, 14 May 2009 22:07:37 +0000 http://swamplot.com/?p=9075#comment-28066 I've always thought of SH 1604 as the ring road or San Antonio's Grand Parkway, your ring road TheNiche makes just as much sense and does pretty much encompass the entire urban area. I’ve always thought of SH 1604 as the ring road or San Antonio’s Grand Parkway, your ring road TheNiche makes just as much sense and does pretty much encompass the entire urban area.

]]> By: TheNiche http://swamplot.com/ring-roads-of-the-world-houston-wins/2009-05-14/#comment-28065 TheNiche Thu, 14 May 2009 22:03:51 +0000 http://swamplot.com/?p=9075#comment-28065 Granted it isn't a single highway, but a glance at a State map reveals that San Antonio does have a ring of State Highways around it comprised of 46, 173, and 97. They're definitely laid out as a ring, with no apparent intent of directly connecting medium-sized towns or county seats in the same orderly way as is the case throughout the rest of Texas. And this one is about 70 miles across, twice the diameter of the Hwy. 6/1960 "ring" around Houston. Granted it isn’t a single highway, but a glance at a State map reveals that San Antonio does have a ring of State Highways around it comprised of 46, 173, and 97. They’re definitely laid out as a ring, with no apparent intent of directly connecting medium-sized towns or county seats in the same orderly way as is the case throughout the rest of Texas. And this one is about 70 miles across, twice the diameter of the Hwy. 6/1960 “ring” around Houston.

]]> By: kjb434 http://swamplot.com/ring-roads-of-the-world-houston-wins/2009-05-14/#comment-28063 kjb434 Thu, 14 May 2009 21:29:43 +0000 http://swamplot.com/?p=9075#comment-28063 Hey, Throw in SH 146 on the east side from Dayton to Texas City and you have the eastern Boundary. It'll fit that definition actually nicely. That definition does explain the Beltline Road around Dallas. It's a mix of different types and doesn't form a defined loop, but a series or roads that make their way around the city. Hey,
Throw in SH 146 on the east side from Dayton to Texas City and you have the eastern Boundary.

It’ll fit that definition actually nicely.

That definition does explain the Beltline Road around Dallas. It’s a mix of different types and doesn’t form a defined loop, but a series or roads that make their way around the city.

]]> By: RWB http://swamplot.com/ring-roads-of-the-world-houston-wins/2009-05-14/#comment-28060 RWB Thu, 14 May 2009 21:25:11 +0000 http://swamplot.com/?p=9075#comment-28060 According to Wikipedia (always kind of a risk), Hwy 6/1960 sort of qualifies as a "ring road": "Ring road may sometimes refer to a beltway-style road, but more commonly indicates a road or series of roads within a city or town that have been joined together by town planners to form an orbital distributor style road, but where the standard of road could be anything from an ordinary city street up to an expressway level." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beltway) Obviously Hwy 6/FM1960 is not within a single town or city, but the intent seems to fit the definition above--except for the "orbital" part, as the "orbit" gets truncated in the East. It's sort of a fudge, but it works for the poster. It makes Houston look pretty badass! According to Wikipedia (always kind of a risk), Hwy 6/1960 sort of qualifies as a “ring road”:

“Ring road may sometimes refer to a beltway-style road, but more commonly indicates a road or series of roads within a city or town that have been joined together by town planners to form an orbital distributor style road, but where the standard of road could be anything from an ordinary city street up to an expressway level.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beltway)

Obviously Hwy 6/FM1960 is not within a single town or city, but the intent seems to fit the definition above–except for the “orbital” part, as the “orbit” gets truncated in the East.

It’s sort of a fudge, but it works for the poster. It makes Houston look pretty badass!

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