The shape of things to come...

Design is an important part of what I do as a City Planner. While I do not engage in the specific design of buildings or open spaces, much of what goes on in the City is directly influenced by laws that I helped to write. It is important, then, to know what some of the basic tenets planners subscribe to when it comes to design are and how to best implement them in the City.

There are basic elements of every City that are the same: roads, commercial areas, industrial areas, residential areas, open spaces, etc. The interplay between these various areas becomes important as the demands placed on the land increases. Further, the appropriate transition from one kind of land use to another helps give each district a distinct feel and character. This adds (perhaps ironically) to the overall cohesive strength of the City and ensures the vitality and continuity of the whole.

European cities have the luxury of thousands of years of history. The places they have and the paths that connect them are well known and well established. As a result, people find it easy to connect with a certain place. Their experiences add new layers on the existing well-worn fabric of the City and fortify the importance of the place in the collective conscience. Many Asian cities are the same.

American cities, however, often face challenges this way. Rapid expansion and growth leads to places that are disposable in feel if not in actual practice. People at times feel a need to experience the bucolic ideal of yesteryear with the strange nostalgia for the European cityscape that they have not fully experienced (vacations to Europe notwithstanding). Indeed, Europe has become almost a Disney-like experience for many Americans - a place to go and enjoy a lifestyle that they long for but do not know how to enjoy or create.

What, then, to do? Is there a way to create a hybrid of both practices, enabling a place that feels American but incorporates important ideas and lessons learned from Europe and Asia?

In the last few years there has been a trend for the upper middle and upper class folks to move back into the downtown areas. This presents several interesting challenges for cities - many of which have been discussed in a previous post. But for our purposes today, I wonder why it is that this phenomenon is taking place anyway. Is it that people are longing for higher density that is available in downtown areas? Greater walkability? Easier access to cultural activities? Closer to work and restaurants? Cache? Difficult to say. Whatever the reason, they are relocating in these areas because their needs are not being met in the suburbs. Perhaps there are lessons to be learned from these downtown areas.

More on this later. The ideas are still percolating. I would be interested in your thoughts on any of this...

Dear Anonymous Rumor Spreader...

... or believer.

Please do not believe me. Please find out the truth of this and everything for yourself. The truth is out there. If you do not believe me please go to other sources - trustworthy ones, such as the actual lease office - and find out the information for yourself. All it takes is a phone call. 281-576-6400 is the management company/leasing office. Just call and ask about how much it is to lease one of the places.

I have several times in this blog and in other public forums expounded on the fact that EAGLEBROOK APARTMENTS WILL NOT BE SECTION 8 HOUSING. Period. End of story.

This is from the developer, from the management agency handling the leases, and from several people (including our Chief of Police) who are considering a lease in the complex. Rents are pricey - in excess of $800 for most units. Does this sound like Section 8 housing to you?

As I have repeatedly explained, affordable housing comes in three major categories - low-rent places that are just low-rent, Section 8 government-subsidized housing, and housing that is being subsidized that is not Section 8. The thing to keep in mind (once again) is that the City has absolutely NO control over whether or not a developer chooses to put apartments on his/her property. None. Zero. We have no choice. We can restrict where they are, we can govern what the exterior looks like, we can regulate the number of units allowed on a certain piece of land. But whether or not the developer wants apartments on a given parcel is a business decision that the City has no part in. A developer has the right to develop his/her land according to the desires and regulations at the time of development, just like everyone else.

More troubling to me, perhaps, is the stigma associated with Section 8 housing. Poor people need a place to stay. I have been poor in my life and have worked my way through school, living in several different apartments along the way, in following my goals. Housing choice gives people an opportunity to participate in good, wholesome communities for their entire life - newly married/still in school/apartment folks move on to smaller homes with children which transitions (perhaps) to something bigger which empty-nesters may find unnecessary and they transition back into apartments or condominiums. They are the SAME PEOPLE, same dreams, goals, hopes. But their housing needs and desires change. With having only one, single type of housing available we are restricting the warp and woof of our community's fabric which leads to boring, weak, and unsuccessful communities. Vibrant and successful communities are those which allow opportunities for ALL it's residents for their entire lives. Our interest, care, and respect shown to these folks demonstrates more about us than it does them.