By Peter Brown
It is time to control the destiny of our city by coordinating plans for transportation, drainage, land development, revitalization of Downtown and the inner city, and the stewardship of our heritage and natural environment.
It is time to relinquish the myth that Houston is so different from other cities, and to embrace proven planning and urban/suburban development principles, directed toward enhancing the quality of life for all citizens.
It is time to interact with our fellow citizens, to define a shared vision for the future of our metropolitan region.
It is time to recognize that the City Code of Ordinances of Houston (Chapter 33, Sec.33-22) mandates that the City Planning Commission “shall have the power and it shall be its duty … to adopt a Comprehensive Plan … and recommend it to the City Council for approval”, in accordance with the provisions of the Texas Local Government Code. The last valid Comprehensive Plan for the city was completed in 1929. It’s the law, and our elected officials should be following it.
1000 Friends of Houston has challenged voters, candidates to elective office, community groups, and citizens to support a meaningful comprehensive planning process for the city and region.
The future of American metropolitan regions depends on creating a livable, visually attractive pedestrian-friendly, culturally diverse urban center, surrounded by thriving neighborhoods and well planned suburbs, served by mixed-use centers, linked by efficient rail transit and bus-ways.
The entrepreneurial city of the 21st century is a planned city, with a commonly understood and accepted future vision, and standards and guidelines for new development, streets, and other elements of the public realm, improving neighborhoods, building and revitalizing commercial centers, and attractive, manageable suburban growth.
A quality-of-life agenda - the essential choices for all Houstonians
Air Quality - As one of the most polluted cities in America, we need realistic and effective measures to reduce air pollution, meeting or exceeding Federal standards. Being second or third worst just isn’t good enough. Our community health is at risk.
Transportation and Transit - Every urban region needs a BALANCED transportation system – an interactive network of rail and bus-ways, streets and highways, bikeways, and pedestrian-ways. Congestion is a major issue in Houston, and our transportation costs are among the highest in the nation. There should be transportation choices for all citizens; alternatives to the commuter lifestyle and being stuck in traffic.
Attractive, stable Neighborhoods - Revitalization of in-town neighborhoods and higher standards for suburban development will provide a range of housing choices for all Houstonians. Neighborhoods should be served by convenient shopping and services, good schools and libraries, nearby parks, playgrounds and squares, in a safe and lively pedestrian-oriented environment.
Quality public education - Good schools are the foundation of our democratic institutions. Neighborhood schools, preferably within walking distance of the families served, promote parental involvement and interactive neighborhood life. Schools should be redefined as essential neighborhood institutions.
Planning and development standards - Our city needs a workable set of development standards and guidelines, particularly for controlling blight and incompatible land uses. Some ordinances are in place (landscape, signage, parking, subdivision regulations), but they don’t go far enough to control the ugliness and blight that plagues our city and tarnishes our image. There is too much man-made ugliness along our streets. Deed restrictions are cumbersome and in many areas unenforceable. Reasonable standards are needed to ensure quality development, a more attractive public realm, historic preservation, storm water management, protection of property values and of the natural environment.
Stewardship of the natural environment - With continued haphazard growth, our most precious resource - the natural environment of our coastal region - is at risk. Developable land in the Houston region is shrinking; additional development places increasing pressures on Houston’s threatened ecosystems and areas of natural beauty. Responsible urbanization and expansion into undeveloped lands require careful planning and a public policy ethic of environmental stewardship.
Inter-governmental coordination - Efficiency of government is essential to the wise use of taxpayer dollars and public resources. As the region expands, government tends to become less efficient, and less responsive to individual citizens. It is tragic that in this era of enormous wealth, local governments are strapped for funds and forced to raise taxes and cut back services. An obvious solution is to formally establish a process of intergovernmental coordination between the City of Houston and its surrounding metropolitan area counties, particularly Harris County. This means coordinated planning, sharing of facilities and the delivery of social services, street construction and repairs. Essential partners in this process are METRO and TXDOT.
Downtown and the Main Street Corridor - Downtown is the heart of our city, the symbolic center of commerce, culture, finance, education, government, and entertainment. The dramatic transformation of Downtown into a people-friendly, pedestrian-oriented mixed-use commercial and residential district should be of the highest priority. Beautification of the public realm is an essential ingredient – landscaping, lighting, attractive sidewalks and crosswals, room for sidewalk cafes and an active street life safe and well served by light rail public transit. The rejuvenation of Main Street is the anchor of the redevelopment of the Main Street Light Rail Transit Corridor, one of the most ambitious revitalization projects in the nation. To be successful, Main Street needs additional levels of funding, and adoption of the Master Plan by City Council.
Parks and beautification - Houston lags well behind other cities in the amount and character of park spaces, city and neighborhood parks, and urban squares and plazas. The proposed bond issue for parks needs strong support from all citizens, as does the Quality of Life Coalition’s agenda for urban beautification. Studies show the visitor or the company executive considering a move to Houston are most concerned about the character and beauty of the natural and man-made environment. Parklands and beautification deserve a greater share of scarce public resources.
Meaningful comprehensive planning; connecting the visions
Comprehensive planning, as defined by our City Charter and as commonly practiced in other cities, is sorely lacking in Houston. The last Comprehensive Plan was adopted in 1929. We are paying the price for this lapse in civic responsibility in terms of a pattern of land use and transportation so inefficient that it will be difficult and expensive to fix. As the Center for Houston’s Future has said, we can’t go on much longer with business as usual. No business or institution would consider operating without a plan.
A well-conceived Comprehensive Plan, reflecting input from the entire citizenry, is the basis for effective government and an efficient, attractive cityscape.
Without such a plan, Houston will increasingly experience problems of congestion, air pollution, visual blight, and pressures for higher taxes.
The City should immediately establish a Comprehensive Plan Committee to start the planning process now. There should be extensive public input, and a plan should be adopted by the Planning Commission and City Council in a period of two years, in time for the 2003 elections. In fact, the adoption of a Comprehensive Plan is required by law in the City Code of Ordinances (Sec.33-22).
The benefits of Comprehensive Planning are many: a meaningful public participation process; defining our basic goals and priorities; a more orderly pattern of growth and efficient land use; renewed viability of Downtown and the inner city; coordination of land use, transportation, drainage/storm water management on a regional basis, with less congestion, reduction in trip lengths; a direct correlation of the capital improvements program with patterns of growth; revitalization of neighborhoods; control of blight and ugliness, and sensible protection of the natural environment.
The list is long, but perhaps the great benefit of comprehensive planning is bringing the people together to define a shared vision for our collective future. We already have a good start – Imagine Houston – and the recent work of our Planning Department. There is little doubt about what is wrong and what needs to be fixed. A comprehensive plan allows us to tackle all of these interdependent quality of life issues simultaneously. It’s time to start the process now.
Summary
The ten issues listed above will largely determine the future of our city and region. This quality of life agenda requires strong bipartisan leadership, collective thinking and decision-making, and more creative solutions to our urban problems.
Our destiny is not to be a region of increasing sprawl, congestion, ugliness, higher taxes, and diminishing quality of life, gradually losing our market share in the fierce competition among urban regions in the 21st century knowledge-industry global marketplace. Houston can become a great city, but we are not there yet. The 1000 Friends of Houston believes that a comprehensive planning process will help transform our city into one of the great metropolitan regions in America.
Peter Brown, AIA
James Hill, AIA
Texas Study - Klineberg
David Crossley, Gulf Coast Institute