August 29, 2005
G U L F  C O A S T  G R O W T H  N E W S
A publication of the Gulf Coast Institute

NOTABLE QUOTE
"A growing body of research based on actual investments clearly shows that major highway projects do not necessarily create new jobs or spur economic growth so much as shift economic activity around a metropolitan area."
- Bruce Katz and Robert Puentes, writing in "Taking the High Road: A Metropolitan Agenda for Transportation Reform." http://www.brookings.edu/press/books/takingthehighroad.htm

LIVABLE HOUSTON INITIATIVE
Topic to be announced. The meeting is Wednesday, September 28, noon-1:30 pm, Houston-Galveston Area Council, 3555 Timmons, second floor. Bring your lunch. For more information call 713-523-5757. The Gulf Coast Institute and the Houston-Galveston Area Council host Livable Houston/Smart Growth bring-your-own-lunch meetings that are open to the public on the fourth Wednesday of every month. http://www.gulfcoastinstitute.org

ENVISION HOUSTON REGION
Officials try out visioning 'game'
Citizens will work on vision for future growth
Public officials attending the Houston-Galveston Area Council's (H-GAC) Transportation Policy Council meeting Friday got a first look at the land-use "game" that will be used in the Envision Houston Region project this fall. Participants spent about two hours learning how the large maps and development "chips" will be used by citizens to arrive at a common vision for the region's future growth. The system, presented by staff from Fregonese Calthorpe Associates, the consultants, has evolved through use in a dozen or more cities and regions throughout the US. For dates and places for the five Houston workshops – and to register - see http://www.envisionhoustonregion.org.

Cisneros says urban market's time has come
Calls for respect for existing communities
Calling cities "the engines that drive trade between nations," former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Henry Cisneros told an Urban Land Institute conference last week that "we must understand the importance of developers who will not just transfer suburban products to the city, but will learn to relate to the existing communities." Cisneros spoke at an Urban Marketplace event attended by some 600 people.  He stressed the "importance of strategic relationships, focusing on schools, parks, libraries, neighborhood shopping, and civic amenities" in urban development. He said "the market for urban housing is a market whose time has come, and it's particularly important to recognize the value of mixed-income neighborhoods and to be respectful of those who are already here." To hear a KUHF report, go to http://tinyurl.com/bsp8z

I-45 Coalition holds large meeting
Town hall event most concerned about right of way in neighborhoods
An estimated 500 people turned out for a town meeting organized by the I-45 Coalition to talk about the proposed expansion plan for the freeway. Among them were US Representatives Gene Green and Sheila Jackson Lee, State Representatives Garnett Coleman and Jessica Farrar, County Commissioner Sylvia Garcia, and City Council Members Adrian Garcia and Gordon Quan. During opening comments, Council Member Adrian Garcia stated, "These plans will erase the Northside as we know it today." The reconstruction project would provide no additional capacity for the general purpose lanes, but would allow the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to meet its goal of providing "reliable travel times in the managed lanes." Unlike current HOV lanes, which are limited to transit and vehicles with two or more occupants, managed lanes provide access to any vehicle whose driver pays a toll. The Coalition is asking TxDOT to include assessment of the right-of-way impact (which is not addressed in the plan), frontage road requirements, and surface street improvements in the planning phase of the project. The Coalition also expressed concerns that TxDOT's cost estimates for the project are unrealistically low in light of the well-publicized cost overruns associated with the Katy Freeway expansion. The Coalition has asked TxDOT to present its plans to stakeholders before going to the regional planning agency for its approval. TxDOT plans to go the Houston-Galveston Area Council's Technical Advisory Committee for approval on September 14 and then to the Transportation Policy Council on September 23 for inclusion of the plan in the 2025 Regional Transportation Plan.

Subdivisions could replace pastures
Radack says roads are the key
A lack of money may "delay building or widening major thoroughfares that would provide access to pastureland where subdivisions could be built," according to Harris County Commissioner Steve Racack in a recent Houston Chronicle report. The report said Radack asserted the new subdivisions would create "more taxpayers to pay for County service," but did not address national studies that show residential housing costs more in services than taxing entities take in. http://tinyurl.com/bpmn9

Only in Montrose
Survey shows high desire not to drive
A recent survey taken as part of the Montrose Pedestrian and Bicyclist Plan found that, while 67 percent drive a car for travel within Montrose, only 3 percent desire that means. Forty-five percent would prefer to walk, 35 percent prefer bikes, and 17 percent want transit or some other means. As it is, 13 percent do walk and 15 percent ride bikes. Common problems hindering walking and biking included discontinuous or narrow sidewalks and poor sidewalk repair, driver behavior, lack of safe crosswalks, and obstructions in sidewalks, such as trees and poles. The effort is being organized by the Houston-Galveston Area Council.

New transportation blog
Houston engineer focuses on trains, highways, and corridors
A new transportation blog called "Intermodality" has been launched by structural engineer Christof Spieler. The blog focuses "on trains, highways, and corridors, and how they all fit together." A recent entry, called "Changing Trains," explored ways the new Metro rail/Bus Rapid Transit plan could be operated to produce the fewest numbers of transfers. Others compare the kind of service that can be offered by different technology modes and argue for the value of the HOV park and ride system. The blog is contained in the Citizens Transportation Coalition website.  http://www.ctchouston.org/blogs/christof/ <http://www.ctchouston.org/blogs/christof/>

'Planet' is subject of civic forum
Rice Design Alliance event set this Wednesday
Weighing selfish interests against responsibility to care for the earth is the subject of part 2 of a three-part civic forum series sponsored by the Rice Design Alliance, with this event taking place Wednesday, August 31 at 7 pm at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston's Brown Auditorium. The series is called "People Planet Prosperity," and this is the "Planet" section. Speakers are Cath Conlon, of the Blackwood Educational Land Institute; The Reverend Mark Edmiston-Lange, Emerson Unitarian Church; and John Jacob, Ph.D., Texas Sea Grant and Texas Cooperative Extension. http://tinyurl.com/8vzp8

Census workshop announced
Subject is 2002 economic data
A workshop called "Using the 2002 Economic Census Data: What's New and How to Find It," will be held by the Texas and Economic Demographic Association on September 7. The event will be at the Houston branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, 1801 Allen Parkway, from 8:45 am to 12 noon, with registration beginning at 8 am, when coffee and rolls will be served. Registration is $5 for members and their guests and $10 for others. Staff members of the US Census Bureau will conduct the workshop. http://www.teda.org.

TEXAS NOTES
Tunnels, skywalks now seen as downtown detriments
Dallas mayor would like to 'clog' downtown tunnels with cement
Dallas is among many cities that now regret building downtown skywalks and tunnels in the 1960s and '70s, according to the New York Times. Such "conveniences" were seen as methods the downtowns could use to compete with the suburbs in terms of comfort and safety. But now that many downtowns are considered safe and attractive, skywalks and tunnels are impediments to growth, because they keep pedestrians off the streets. "If I could take a cement mixer and pour cement in and clog up the tunnels, I would do it today," says Laura Miller, the mayor of Dallas, referring to the city's tunnels. "It was the worst urban planning decision that Dallas has ever made. They thought it was hip and groovy to create an underground community, but it was a death knell." Dallas has considered offering retailers $2.5 million in incentives if they relocate from the tunnels to the street. Other cities, such as Des Moines, have limited the expansion of skywalks, while Cincinnati has approved a plan to tear down pieces of its 30-year-old skywalk system. "The skyways really didn't work," said one New York State planning official of his city's efforts. "If you're up in a skywalk, you might as well be driving your car."

Regional planning for the Metroplex
Various entities say that expected growth calls for greater cooperation
The Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex expects to have 9 million residents by 2030. According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, officials fear that the region will suffer high levels of traffic congestion, smog, and other ills, if the various Metroplex entities don't begin to plan regionally.  To that end, officials from throughout the region have inaugurated Vision North Texas, a planning process that will call for "the set of principles variously known by such terms as smart growth, sustainable development, or transit-oriented development." "We were not saying there was a right or wrong
way to develop," said the council of government's senior transportation  
planner, Alicia Hopkins; "We were saying, 'Let's open our eyes.'" Thus far, officials from a variety of municipalities have enthusiastically supported the idea of regional planning. http://www.uli.org/Content/NavigationMenu10/IndustryNews/SmartGrowthNews/default.htm

NOTES FROM OTHER PLACES
URBANISM
Truly lofty living
Skyscrapers reinvented as condominium towers
Conventional wisdom held that nobody would want to live or work in a terrorist target after 9/11, and developers would no longer build high rises, according to a story in the Los Angeles Times. But recent trends suggest otherwise, the story reports. In Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and abroad, the skyscraper is being reborn as a condominium tower. Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava's proposed Chicago tower is a prominent example. This tower will feature 250 condominium units, built over a hotel. The trend is partially driven by the difficulty some downtowns are experiencing in filling their skyscrapers with offices. So developers who want to work with very expensive downtown real estate are doing so by building urban living spaces that are attractive both to young professionals and "empty-nesters." http://www.calendarlive.com/printedition/calendar/cl-et-skyscraper2aug02,0,6687413.story?track=tothtml

Boston office buildings near rail stops have higher occupancy rates
Study shows business benefits of transit-oriented development
According to a recent study, office vacancy rates near suburban mass-transit stations in the Boston metro area are significantly below the regional average. The Wall St. Journal reports that suburban-area offices within walking distance of a rail station have a 14.9-percent vacancy rate, while offices less accessible by train have a 22.1-percent vacancy rate. Suburban offices that are both close to the city and near a transit station have vacancies as low as 1.2 percent. Another study, by the Urban Land Institute, showed that property values have risen near railway stops in the San Diego market. http://www.rbjrealestate.com/statistics.htm

Charlotte prepares for mass transit
Transit oriented development requires careful planning
Light rail will come to Charlotte in 2007, and the Charlotte Business Journal says officials are already initiating regulations and policies "to encourage development that will help the corridor become a magnet for Charlotteans to work, live and play." "It's a new frontier for Charlotte. But we are a Johnny-come-lately to mass transit, and that's good and bad," says one developer. "It's good because our planners are using the best practices others have used to get it right, but bad because we are in uncharted waters and adopting policy without a history." There is more to transit-oriented development (TOD) than simply putting up housing, retail, or office space along a commuter line. Planners have to create land-use plans specific to each transit stop, with some TOD oriented more toward business, and some toward residential. One developer is hoping rail will attract tenants to his company's 300-unit, 5-acre apartment building located about 250 feet from a station. "We bought this land specifically because it's on the transit line," says the developer. Other developers are concerned that regulations may boost the cost of projects that are already more expensive than suburban developments. "Developers can build smaller units, but the cost of land and construction are what they are," a developer says. He recommends that the city "explore the shared use of parking at strategic points. That would be the best way to contain costs." http://charlotte.bizjournals.com/charlotte/stories/2005/08/08/focus4.html?page=1

Live where you eat
Vancouver builds condo towers over grocery stores
Vancouver has long been building condominium towers on top of retail merchants, and the city remains on the cutting edge of this trend, according to MacLean's. Three new Vancouver condo towers will be built over a Safeway, a McDonald's, and a pharmacy, respectively.  Still, the announcement that an upscale developer will build a tower over a Whole Foods Market has made an impression. One developer says the presence of Whole Foods will make the condos an easier sell. "Whole Foods sets a tone. They're an exciting retailer. People enjoy the experience of shopping there." Condos are hot properties in Vancouver, in any event. The $250 million Living Shangri-La tower, which has only recently broken ground, has already pre-sold most of its units, at an average price of $1 million. http://www.macleans.ca/topstories/business/article.jsp?content=20050725_109506_109506

Live where you shop
Phoenix developer to build apartment in malls
A Phoenix-based company that owns most of the region's malls plans to build condos in 2 high-end malls. According to the Arizona Republic, the company has not ruled out building housing in any of its 10 existing malls. Such housing will offer a "faux-urban neighborhood for those who can afford it." One mall resident, Ken Clark, a 54-year-old real estate agent, lives with his wife above Banana Republic in an $800,000, 2-bedroom loft. Adding housing into the shopping mix is just one way that mall developers are changing the look and feel of traditional retail centers. Architecture, design, and landscaping more often than not mimic the open-air feel of an urban streetscape. But an Arizona State professor questions the practicality of such expensive living. Some of the condos and lofts are "so high-end, you sort of wonder who they're going after," he says. "You're not seeing discounters in these types of environments," the professor said.  http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0809retailresidential09.html

Beijing should look to Tokyo, not LA, as a model of growth
Former LA councilman offers China advice on how to develop
Former Los Angeles city council member and USC urban planning teacher Michael Woo recently published an op-ed piece in the LA Times in which he offered China some advice for dealing with that country's unprecedented economic development. He laments the fact that bicycles are now prohibited on many Beijing streets, to make room for cars. Woo points out that heavy traffic keeps car speeds at around 7 mph, "a pace easily matched on a bicycle."  Woo writes that China can learn negative lessons from the US about the costs of economic growth. "If the price of growth is unbreathable air, undrinkable water, dysfunctional cities and congested roads, how long can a nation sustain a boom economy?" Woo finds that China is in fact pursuing US-style sprawl, as workers live ever farther from their jobs. Rather than LA, Woo recommends the Chinese look to "Curitiba in southern Brazil or Tokyo, which combine high rates of car ownership with low daily car use by offering good public transit and adopting tough restrictions on driving." Woo warns that "China's environmental challenges could become severe enough to impede economic growth." He recommends that, on environmental issues, the US approach the Chinese government "not as a scold," but by offering to help find innovative solutions. http://tinyurl.com/7uw4h

More parking = more cars
SF study urges city to limit parking spaces
A San Francisco State University study finds that fewer people in San Francisco would drive if they didn't have parking available, according to the San Francisco Examiner. The report found that people living in areas where there are two or more parking spaces per person were more likely to drive to nonwork events. They were almost equally split between driving and other methods when it came to commuting. The authors recommend that San Francisco impose parking maximums, instead of minimums, at new residential developments, especially those in dense, transit-rich areas. Any new parking should be built underground.  There are signs that the city is moving toward requiring less parking. Two major downtown developments, including a 1,400-unit condominium project, may not be required to provide any parking.  http://www.sfexaminer.com/articles/2005/07/29/news/20050729_ne05_parking.txt

TRANSPORTATION
Brookings publication examines transportation issues
'Taking the High Road' examines changes in strategies
Since the early 1990s, federal transportation laws have slowly started to level the playing field between highway and alternative transportation strategies, according to Taking the High Road, a new Brookings Institution book edited by two members of the Institution's Metropolitan Policy Program.  Taking the High Road examines the most pressing transportation challenges facing the US. The authors focus on the central issues in the ongoing debate about the nation's transportation policy, and present public officials with options for transportation policy reform. Topics include an examination of transportation finance and how it affects cities and suburbs, the challenges of transportation access for working families and the elderly, problems related to increasing traffic congestion, and the lack of adequate transportation alternatives, among other topics. http://www.brookings.edu/press/books/takingthehighroad.htm

Nevada en route to 'state-of-the-art transportation systems'
New transportation bill will help Las Vegas expand BRT and bullet train
Nevada will benefit from the new $286.4 billion transportation bill recently signed by President Bush. According to KLAS-TV, the state will receive more than $260 million a year for the next 5 years, putting Southern Nevada on the fast track to having one of the most state-of-the-art transportation systems in the country.  The bill includes $18 million to create additions to the "Max Bus" bus rapid transit system. Ingrid Reisman, with the Regional Transportation Commission, says, "It is set up like a rail with longer gaps and fewer stops." Reisman also says the money will help Southern Nevada handle increased traffic flow. Officials will also use the funds to continue developing plans for a high-speed train connecting Las Vegas and Southern California. http://www.klas-tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=3707292&nav=168XdBoD <http://www.klas-tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=3707292&amp;nav=168XdBoD>

EDUCATION
New LA mayor promotes 'New Schools, Better Neighborhoods'
Schools should be neighborhood centers, neighborhoods should promote learning
Newly elected LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa recently spoke at a "New Schools Better Neighborhoods" (NSBN) symposium which focused on "Schools as Centers of our Neighborhoods." According to The Planning Report, the mayor commended NSBN for "helping to develop new school facilities that are small, community centered, and [that] serve as anchors to neighborhoods." The mayor specifically referred to NSBN's push to make schools "joint-use facilities." He said, "We need [to design] smaller schools that serve the community needs at night and on weekends."  Mayor Villaraigosa warned of "astronomical" high school drop out rates, and said, "The future of our city lies with its children and the strength of a city lies in the education it provides to those children." He laid out the necessary conditions for successful schools. They should be "safe havens," and promote children's health. They should also offer "before and after" school support. Finally, the LA school system should create "strategic alliances" with partners that can support "empowerment of teachers and principles," as well as parents, "the first teachers." http://tinyurl.com/bcgb8

INFRASTRUCTURE
America's crumbling infrastructure
Engineers urge a 'sustainable infrastructure' plan for the 21st Century
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) recently gave the US a "D" in a test on 15 infrastructure categories. Metropolis Magazine interviewed the ASCE President, William Clay, about ways to fix our public works. The ASCE estimates that $1.6 trillion needs to be invested in the next five years to solve both current and looming infrastructure problems. Clay dates the problem to the later years of the Reagan administration. He recommends tackling health hazards first. "The water and waste-water systems are the ones on which I personally place the highest priority. The third one is the road system, because there are traffic deaths every year and because the time wasted in traffic jams keeps people away from their families and communities." He also recommends moving from a "piecemeal" approach to infrastructure maintenance. "We need a body to develop a plan for sustainable infrastructure for the 21st century for the United States."  http://www.metropolismag.com/cda/story.php?artid=1528

EVENTS
LOCAL
What's happening to Galveston Bay? Sep 10 at the University of Houston Clear Lake. Sponsored by the Galveston Bay Conservation and Preservation Association, the Houston Audubon Society, and the Sierra Club's Houston Regional Group. 281-326-3343 or www.gbcpa.net.

'End of Suburbia' screening. Sep 14, 7 pm at the MFAH Brown Auditorium. Sponsored by The Museum of Fine Arts Houston, the Documentary Alliance, and the Sierra Club. Houston energy expert Matthew Simmons will speak. 713-666-2504. http://www.mfah.org/main.asp?target=films&par1=1&par2=1&par3=514

Envision Houston regional meetings. Beginning Sep 17, in various locations. http://www.envisionhoustonregion.org.

Place Making Conference. Sep 26-27, at The Woodlands Waterway Marriott.  Sponsored by Urban Land Institute. www.uli.org/conferences. 800-321-5011.

NATIONAL
Rail~Volution 11, Salt Lake City, Sept 8-11 http://www.railvolution.com

National Preservation Conference, Portland Sep 27–Oct 2.  https://www.nthpconference.org or call 800-944-6847.

Smart Code workshops Miami Oct 5 – 8. Andres Duany will lead the discussion about the future of American land use planning. http://www.placemakers.com/info/workshop.html

Community Planning Collaborative Convention, Bruce Babbitt, keynote speaker. Orlando, Oct 27 – 30. http://www.planningcollaborative.org/

New Partners for Smart Growth 5th annual conference, Denver, Jan 26-28, 2006. http://www.outreach.psu.edu/C&I/SmartGrowth/

Prepared by David Theis

Gulf Coast Growth News is a publication of the Gulf Coast Institute. The Gulf Coast Institute is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life in Houston. To support the Institute, go to http://www.gulfcoastinstitute.org. To join the Institute's 1000 Friends of Houston, go to http://www.1000friendsofhouston.org