"In 2013, it will be possible to live all over town — and live a full life — via light rail," said Jay Crossley, of the advocacy group Houston Tomorrow.
That means that people in America's oil capital could have the option to use less oil, by leaving the car at home. On the train, Crossley can look out the window and see one major problem: There is a lot of vacant land along the rail line. For a variety of reasons, developers have not yet rushed to build homes and stores within walking distance.
Crossley thinks part of the problem is that Mayor White, like all Houston officials before him, has done relatively little urban planning. And with Houston's lack of regulations, developers can often build where — and how — they see fit. READ THE REST
Jay tells me the interview took place at Tacos a Go Go in Midtown. I was amazed to hear this fact about Houston from Rice University sociologist Stephen Klineberg:
"The city of Houston covers 620 square miles," he says. "You could put inside the city limits of Houston, simultaneously — I kid you not — the cities of Philadelphia, Baltimore, Chicago and Detroit." READ THE REST
Here are the stories I could find on NPR.org:
- Mayor's Dilemma: Can Houston Be Energy Efficient?
- Fighting Gentrification With Money In Houston
- Houston: Texas-Sized Sprawl, No End In Sight
- Greener Houston Grapples With Diversity And Sprawl CONTACT: Leave me a Houston or Texas media news tip | COMMENT: Click to leave your thoughts on this post here
