Let's be smart with our city's fortune
Updated 7:54 pm, Sunday, July 20, 2014
Yes, the economy is booming. Yes, we're building another concrete ring around the city lined with strip shopping centers and Olive Gardens. Yes, the Wall Street Journal and two very smart urbanists, Joel Kotkin and Tory Gattis, have noticed, commenting on Houston's explosive growth due to its "unique policy environment." Translation: Our lack of zoning has allowed multiple employment centers to evolve, and people can live closer to where they work. As the Journal notes, we deserve a big pat on the back for having among the highest standard of living of any large U.S. city. But let's not become complacent.
Growth itself brings problems - our crowded freeways and deteriorating roads, for instance - and rapid growth can threaten our air quality and green space. But we shouldn't just try to keep up with growth. We should borrow best practices from other cities on a roll. Some are near: San Antonio launched a pre-K initiative and Dallas' Klyde Warren Park was built on top of Woodall Rodgers Freeway (yes, you read that right). Elsewhere, we find cities that are rerouting freeways; cities that are bike-friendly; cities that have great neighborhood centers and that display impressive public art.
Strong organizations strive for improvement and encourage candid discussions of deficiencies. Houston should take the same approach. For starters, it's worth asking during this boom: Why is the Greater Houston Partnership agonizing over Houston's image when people are pouring into the city? And why is the City Council handing out tax abatements?
America's workers are mobile. This accounts for our ability to attract workers during the shale boom. But it also means that talented workers could be tempted to move in pursuit of the next big thing. The wind is in our sails. We need to find solutions to the problems that will drag us down - municipal finance, inner-city housing, achievement gaps and the dropout problem of public schools, to name a few - if we don't. The time is now.