We need to talk about the Astrodome
Former Harris County Judge Ed Emmett discusses the past, present and once-future plan for the Astrodome, which has stood empty for almost 20 years. Recently, efforts to remake the Dome have been renewed.
We need to talk about the Astrodome
Former Harris County Judge Ed Emmett discusses the past, present and once-future plan for the Astrodome, which has stood empty for almost 20 years. Recently, efforts to remake the Dome have been renewed.
The return to work will determine the fate of downtowns. Is Houston ready for what’s next?
Central Houston President Bob Eury has been tracking COVID-19 case counts since the early days of the pandemic and has the spreadsheet to prove it. It was a ritual that he says helped him stay on top of the virus and how far off “normal” might be. But there may be one number he is tracking even more closely: how many of downtown’s estimated 168,000 workers are returning to the office.
The struggle to preserve the Black experience in Houston
The National Register of Historic Places lists 290 entries for Houston. Of those, only 13 focus on the history of African-American residents.
‘Slow streets’ may have been rolled out too fast in Houston
Despite good intentions, the city’s three-month “slow streets” experiment in Eastwood may have been undone by efforts to react quickly to the circumstances of the pandemic. But the lessons learned could improve the initiative going forward.
Giving Buffalo Bayou ‘back to the people’ of the East End
As the Buffalo Bayou Partnership looks east, some of the first improvements planned include mixed-income housing options, a Japhet Creek pocket park in the lower Fifth Ward, wharf and dock reconstruction in the Second Ward and filling gaps in existing trails. But it all started with connecting to communities.
Repairing the urban fabric torn apart by highways in America
How rebuilding freeways has helped heal mid-20th-century transportation scars in cities like San Francisco, Dallas, Syracuse and Washington, D.C., along with a cautionary tale from Houston.
The new BikeHouston boss has a vision for safer streets for all
Whether you ride a bike full time or part time, just for fun or for transportation, BikeHouston’s new executive director wants to make it safer to ride a bike in Houston. It’s why he left New York to come here.
For close to 40 years, SPARK parks have been bringing hyper-proximity to Houston neighborhoods
Since 1983, the innovative SPARK parks program has taken a multi-use, community-based approach to increasing park acreage by turning school playgrounds into community parks. The effort has helped put many Houstonians within walking distance of active green space.
Pandemic pivot: My favorite street is closed to cars — but open to people
Main Street in Ventura, California, which has been closed to cars and opened to restaurants and other businesses affected by the coronavirus, is my favorite street. This essay is both a discussion of what makes a great street and a personal reminiscence about what this particular street means to me.
Many in Harris County find themselves living farther and farther from jobs
For the average Harris County household, the combined costs of housing and transportation are at the edge of affordability. Add to that the growing distance between home locations and jobs, and the costs quickly can become unsustainable, particularly for lower-income households.
Monumental changes require removing monuments to the Confederacy
Americans once again are calling for and debating the removal of Confederate monuments. Some want them to remain, claiming they are part of their heritage. But these monuments are tied to a divisive history and the denial of the Black American experience. Leaving them in place only honors the Confederacy’s cause: To preserve the status quo and continue enslaving Black Americans.
How the mayor of Washington D.C. used ‘graffiti’ to protect public space
Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser ordered “BLACK LIVES MATTER” to be painted on a street near the White House. The act would have been considered vandalism had it not been done by city workers.
Dear cities: Don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to remake and retake streets
Over the years, more and more of our public space has been given over to cars and congestion while pedestrians, cyclists and others have been squeezed out. One possible silver lining to the COVID-19 pandemic is the chance to give some of that space back.
Kinder Institute Forum: Mitchell J. Silver
New York City Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver discusses how planning and design can create equitable, inclusive and fun places for residents of New York, Houston and beyond.
Sharing the road isn’t radical thinking. Let’s slow down and consider the possibilities.
All day long, cars and trucks speed down Rushmore Boulevard, a high-traffic roadway that separates a pair of lifelong friends in the book “The Busiest Street in Town.” That is, until they decide to take matters into their own hands to slow the traffic and make the street safe for everyone. It may be a children’s book but the story doesn’t have to be a fairy tale.
Rice University
Kraft Hall
6100 Main Street, Suite 305
Houston, TX 77005-1892