Response to Not Just Bikes: Why I Hate Houston
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ต.ค. 2024
- NJB Video: • Why City Design is Imp...
Houston Made Podcast: houston-made.s...
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Not Just Bikes is a channel I’ve watched for the past couple of years. I love urban planning and travel, and Jason’s hot takes on car based development are intriguing and insightful. But when he took stabs at Houston - really tho who hasn’t - I was passionately offended, and the more I listened, deep down afraid he was right about everything. In this video I look at Houston's lassiez faire development history, strides made, and what the future looks like.
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Sources / Further Reading:
www.strongtown...
fee.org/articl...
archinect.com/...
usa.streetsblo...
www.theonion.c...
Topics: #Houston #History of Houston #UrbanPlanning (or the lack thereof) #Development #RealEstateDevelopment #Infrastructure #Bikes #notjustbikes
![Stroads are Ugly, Expensive, and Dangerous (and they're everywhere) [ST05]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/ORzNZUeUHAM/mqdefault.jpg)
![⚔️จำกัดเวลา⚔️ [พากย์ไทย] ซอร์ดอาร์ตออนไลน์ ซีซั่น 1 - ฉบับมัดรวมทุกตอน](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/ohkfBVDXLSA/mqdefault.jpg)
This video does nothing to contradict the NJB video, i think it actually supports it.
I don't think it's meant to contradict it. The most it says is that while the situation is bad, NJB did get one of the WORST areas, and not ALL of the city is that bad.
Title is a reply, and at the beginning he says that deep down he realizes NJB is right.
I mean he does immediately concede the NJB was correct.
@@godminnette2 it's not that it's contradicting, NJB just cherry picks data to fit a narrative, I've noticed this in his videos. Once you realize how bad NJB does this you'll realize it's just a grifting channel.
@@godminnette2 to be fair a very reasonable response to the claim that you are living in hell it is yes you are right dear God help
When I first moved to Houston, my car had broken all the way down and I would have to walk to the grocery store with my 3 year old daughter. Because of the lack of sidewalks and public transportation, I couldn’t safely walk there with a stroller. I ended up finding a bike trail that would get me there, but added an additional 3 miles to what would have been about a 1.5 mile journey (one way) if they just had sufficient sidewalks or a bus! Then add 90°+ weather and minimal shade. It was horrible! We would have to leave early in the morning and pack water bottles and popsicles, just to pick up groceries. And because I couldn’t carry that many groceries in my stroller, we would have to make this journey weekly. The only positive side to this is that I ended up being in the best shape of my life!
I can't imagine living like this. I've never lived more than about a quarter mile from a grocery store (both in Bern, Switzerland and Vienna, Austria) and I go there almost daily to buy fresh produce, not frozen. In winter there is snow, but the sidewalks are often cleared even before the street and in summer there are many trees that provide shade. Public transport is so good that I don't even need a car for live at all - if I buy something big, which is extremely rare, I have it delivered.
Didn’t they have a recent bus redesign tho?
No I feel sympathetic sidewalks are in 90° heat and no sidewalks till you found a better way? One time in my life I had to do the same. But I must say that many Americans are fat because of large portions of eating plus they don’t get enough exercise in their daily life. Yes I do go to gyms etc. but they usually have to drive there. I would support having better sidewalks and easier access to go to the grocery store and simple errands by foot or by bus. There’s some places where I lived where I could’ve walked only a quarter mile to work but there was no sidewalks .
. Sorry I meant to check my paragraph before I sent it but I accidentally pressed it and sent it. I meant to say I do feel sympathetic a person walking and 90° heat and no sidewalks.
What's the problem of cycling 3 miles? Come on... it's nothing!
Lived in Houston for years. Houston is like the first city skylines game you refuse to let go of. A million things in different directions with no real grand plan.
This is highly relatable
City Skylines is what made question cities like Houston, Farmington NM, L.A. and Ontario
To be fair that is true for most of the cities in the world. Having a grand plan is an exception not the rule.
@@MrMartinNeumann fair, but Houston feels exceptionally bad, the lack of grid, huge urban sprawl, highways crisscrossing all over the city tells a story of unplanned unmanageable growth
@@link2442 Ontario isn't a city. You're probably thinking of cities in Ontario. But Toronto has a decent amount of public transport. Way too much sprawl for its size though.
Sorry, but I agree with NJB's video. I lived in Houston for 30 years. I finally left during the lockdown and started anew. I have zero desire to go back. It's a nightmare to drive through and function in. Anyone who thinks otherwise clearly never lived in another city and doesn't know any better. Growing up in this city is like being on house arrest until you are old enough to drive. It may have its charms, but the way the city is designed is inhumane and even impossible to survive in regarding participating to obtain the basic of needs.
Sorry, but I suffered enough in this concrete wasteland.
Just asking what area you moved out too? San Antonio or completely left the state?
I was raised in Houston and finally was able to move out a few months ago. I agree with everything you said. It's a wasteland full of fake ass people
If you watched the video, you would see that Scott also agrees with NJB's video. He's only adding that he's hopeful for the future development of the city. You keep saying "Sorry" like you disagree with him, but everyone is actually in agreement here.
@@BallerGuitarer then why is there a huge GARBAGE? written on the thumbnail
I agree with you totally. I would not like to live in Houston since I would feel isolated. !!! I drove they once myself and missed my exit and I ended up down some highway toward some Bayou and panicking a bit because I didn’t know where I was going I was trying to reach the hospital to visit a relative.
We complaining about Houston being car centric as if the actual roads are good. Shit is a asphalt spaghetti nightmare.
Yea that’s part of the problem car centric development is so expensive Houston can’t even afford to keep their precious roads in tact.
@@dkoda840 That shouldn’t be happening in the first place if they just spended a little more money on high quality asphalt.
The topic of the last video of NJB that the Netherlands are also the best country to drive a car. Good road maintenance plays a role there.
Here is a the link: th-cam.com/video/d8RRE2rDw4k/w-d-xo.html
@@bodigames But they can’t afford to maintain the roads because there’s too many of them.
They actually have very few asphalt roads.....it's exclusively cement roads. 👍
I think one of the saddest things people don’t know about is that Houston’s downtown neighborhood wasn’t just wiped out for no reason. The Houston Center (which does exist today as a series of lively mid and high rises in downtown) was originally imagined as a greater scheme of many dozens of downtown blocks integrated together as an urbanist’s dream. The renderings of the proposal from the 70s/80s would make anyone drool. Crashes in the economy immediately after proposal and demolition of many already inhabited blocks meant no building (and that applies to many other large urban projects in the neighborhood and region as a whole; look up Bank of the Southwest Tower and Block 256 as some of the larger examples). Uptown (including the Galleria and Williams/Transco Tower) is one of the projects that started *just* early enough that they were actually built before the crash. Basically, imagine if an entire Houston Uptown district was constructed on the southern/eastern side of downtown in the 80s and then some.
In this way, it can be said Houston still hasn’t recovered from its crash in the late-70s/early 80s. It was about to be so much more before being plummeted into a depression that lasted for decades.
Thank you for this. This would have been great to see. I always think of how cool our skyline could be if all the high-rise buildings were clustered in one cluster.
Basically you do nothing to contradict. So the cesspool still keeps developing as that cesspool. Walkable needs planning, no planning means everything will stay the same.
@@PoppoFitz ahhh…so you (1) don’t know what brutalism is and (2) haven’t ever actually seen the schemes for it where it accentuates human scale and encourages it. Go be an ignorant party-pooper elsewhere with people more your education level; may I suggest kindergarten?
This just reinforced the idea that houstonians are car brained beyond repair
This isn't really true though. Houston just voted for significant transit expansion and is slowly making changes in the right direction.
@@bellairefondren7389 that’s good
@@bellairefondren7389 where can I look into that?
@@bellairefondren7389 didn't they also approve another couple billion for highway expansion? Seems like they're taking shots in every direction
@@diecar128 The city of Houston did not. That was the Texas DOT. This is unfortunately a recurring theme in Texas cities in general.
Because Houston isn’t a real city, it’s just one giant monstrosity of suburban sprawl.
Hate me now.
*I hate Houston. This place is hell. Take me out of here now and take me to a place where everything’s going to be okay.*
@@earlaweese i think you have greater problems than living in Houston
That's just most modern North American cities. Even LA is like that.
@@earlaweese Colorado seems like an ok alternative but you may not like it.
@@Kodeb8 Not modern, more like old. If you wanna know about a modern North American city check Vancouver or Seattle.
Yeah, I agree with NJB as well. I grew up next to Willowbrook, left in '95 for university in Austin. It took me about a month to realize I would never return to live in Houston, and even felt shortchanged when I had to pay to visit family. I've lived in ATX, DC, Busan, Tokyo, Prague and now in Phnom Penh (which is a mess in many ways), I never owned a car in any of them, and for me, this contributed to a higher quality of life and overall more affordable way of life. Yes, Houston may be getting better, in certain areas, but not at the scale I would need. And maybe that's ok for others, but for me, being able to walk, ride my bike everywhere, see familiar faces, have a deeper sense of community and connection with my environment (because I'm out in it, not moving around in a steel box), is my preference. I know there is the Texas/car identity argument, but I do think if people had the chance to live abroad, even for a couple of months, others might shift their beliefs as well (a couple weeks of travel is not enough to shift a lifetime car habit). Regardless, props to host and I do hope the city continues to improve.
You felt "Shortchanged to pay to visit family" lol! I live in France now and you bet I feel the same way when I fly to Houston for family reasons. The only credit I give Houston is that it allowed my family who were refugees the chance to make a decent life for themselves.
I grew up near Willowbrook too. Left for college late 90s. I live in Seattle now. I miss my family, but I can never go back.
I have just left Houston after six years, it is truly an awful concrete jungle. I lived in Holland for six prior to Houston the change in lifestyle was massive, it gave me terrible depression. Now I am back in the UK and can walk to shops and feel part of a community again. The weather in Houston isn’t conducive to walking.
*Take me with you!!! I absolutely HATE Houston. This place is HORRIFYING for mental health. I’m depressed here everyday. It’s truly hell.*
See I disagree. The weather is fine. Just build amenities closer and develop public transit. Plenty of cities have Houston weather but build smarter.
@@StylistecS Have you ever lived in a proper city where you can get to everything by walking or bike? Houston is permanently ruined, it Cant be fixed. It has some of the worst sprawl and city layout I've ever seen. They could add 100 new bus lines tomorow and it still wouldnt be as enjoyable to walk around like an old english town with architecture with personality. Most the architecture in houston is boring and spread out, you cant spend a day walking near your house to get errands done
@@DavidLopez-rk6em I live in DC now where you can get to everything by bike, walking, or public transit. DC is 61 sq miles. The problem with Houston is that its 599 sq miles. Of course that can't happen. No city can build a walkable, bike friendly city with great public transit in 599 sq miles. You can't even do that in NYC let alone in Houston.
But I don't think Houston is permanently ruined. Policies can change and that policy could alter how you build the city and the people perception on how to build the city. Get rid of parking minimums, setbacks, zoning (which Houston doesn't have), build public transit, etc. and you will start seeing a change. The car and highway destroyed our cities in America.
Personally, like I've stated on my videos. I consider the inner loop the actual city of Houston. Everything outside the inner loop is sprawl and suburbia. It has a harder chance to build a cohesive environment than the inner loop because the inner loop has the bones already. There's a reason why the density can easily increase there as opposed to outside the loop.
I been in Houston a week, I debated if it was even worse than Las Vegas because at least LV is 24 hours. Houston seems to close by 10pm the latest and it has all the crime and then some of an up late city.
Born and raised in southeast Houston right on the Pasadena border. Lived in Houston all my life up until a year ago when I moved. I completely agree with NJBs video and his examples is very representative of the city and state as a whole. Anyone who has lived in these kind of places knows that the citizens are relegated to their respective areas or communities if they do not have a car. You need gas money to even have a job, and they only places that have public transportation are usually in the inner cities which are basically poverty traps for anyone who isn’t rich or doing business in the skyscrapers. A car does not liberate but instead isolates society at large, but what can you expect when the governor of Texas is the biggest sell out piece of human filth that will do anything to score donations and political points. I envy and dream of a day where Texas develops a public transit system like Europe or China, because it would explode its economy and potential beyond anything they can make in lobbying collections.
Texas overall is NOT a cheap state to be in anymore either. It's catching up to the most expensive parts of the USA fast and Houston I feel passed many cities in rent cost for all those who think it's affordable. It's just as much as Denver I feel, as well as Austin. Maybe not quite but almost. It's gonna catch the Northeast as well.
how is a governor in charge of city planning? is the real reason because the governor has an R next to his name, and all the people who run the city of houston are people you voted for?
You can thank all the pro Government bs for that. Keep hating on Houston but I have lived in many cities and they are all the same. In Japan people are happy to live in closets lol!!!
I lived in Houston for the first 24 years of my life, and I’ll always have a soft spot for it, but I think the biggest issue is that any strides made in the inner loop are still gonna be inaccessible to most people. Rent and property values in the inner loop, ESPECIALLY Montrose and Midtown, are skyrocketing every year and are rapidly approaching damn near LA and Seattle prices. Uptown isn’t far behind, either. Don’t get me wrong, any progress is still progress, but I don’t know how much is actually gonna change if people still have a 45+ minute commute because they can’t afford to live near their jobs.
I hear that. Some areas like East End and Northside are still relatively affordable but the west side is definitely not the affordable mecca it used to be.
@@ScottDaileyTH-cam the west side is still pretty affordable. There are some decent apartments for good prices.
Have you considered doing a video about the Houston Bike Plan? The plans are pretty comprehensive and good. The city just needs to come up with 500 million to fund the whole thing. I feel like if people knew how awesome the design is, there would be more political will to get it done.
@@keefers84 Looking in to this now. I didn't know how extensive it was planned to be.
The key to the outer burbs will have to be some transit oriented development. Not enough people can ride a bike across town for a job to make the investment worthwhile. My old backyard is about as big as most towns in Holland. Hubs and/or corridors must be developed and then surrounding areas get connected by walk and bike infrastructure. What has to be openly denounced is the idea that any plan that can’t get an old veteran on his three wheel bike from his inherited home in the back of a friendswood tract home development to see his grand kids in their apartment in Katy is therefore unacceptable and not worthy of funding. That’s a bit hyperbolic, but the hate the loop crowd needs to grok that it’s always going to get started in the loop where all the “rich” people live (which is ridiculous). If anyone doesn’t want there to be a downtown Houston, they should seriously move out of Houston so their tax dollars don’t support it.
Most US metros are car centric unwalkable wastelands. This includes Chicagoland, DMV, Bay Area, Seattle, and even Boston. It just so happens that the primary central city of these metros are walkable and transit oriented. Of course the development will continue in most of Houston metros until suburban America changes its mindset of slaving to a car and building around it, you will continue to see this type of development and you will continue to get the problems you deserve.
This isn’t much different than most of Europe though. It’s the only real problem I have with NJB. His cherry picking of “data”, it’s not a surprise people come away thinking it’s some kind of uniquely North American phenomenon. Most cities in throughout the world are structured in a way that provides access for automobiles into the inner city. While the inner cities themselves are much more walkable.
Not to mention North American cities are VERY large by comparison. To be honest Japan and S. Korea are probably better in this regard but they’re willing to invest in mass transit.
bay area is walkable depending on what part of it you live in. Here in Fremont we have BART and lots of sidewalks.
Traveling with a car is a horrible nightmare..... traffic is so bad that a normal 30 min commute can easily turn into a 2 hour drive due to a single wreck!!!!!!!!!!!!!
As a Truman Baby born in Houston, who still has ties to the city 70 yrs later, I say NJB is >90% spot on. But as you point out, Houston is not nearly as bad as other US cities. AND, unlike say Baton Rouge, Houston really is moving some urban planning in a better direction.
In my experience living in Houston, there are too many pie-in-the-sky dreamers who build homes miles out from the city center and then constantly bitch about the hours of commuting they then have to do to get to work. And no, there aren't many neighborhood shops or restaurants in those far-flung housing subdivisions. I lived in Houston for 15 years and loved it. Just like in any big dirty city it's all about where you live.
In various cities around the world, shops are always in walking distance. It’s not normal to have to drive to get to a shop, even in an outer circle of a city. It is just the only thing some people have ever known to be the case.
@@cluelessmango768 I agree with even in outside city centers and suburban neighborhoods there are walkable shops and grocery stores but America is the only country where you have to drive 15 minutes just to buy toilet paper because you ram out!
Most of my bosses live so far out they do anything to leave before 4pm rush hour so we end up having scheduled meetings before sunrise every damn day...so now I work in an office but keep dairy farmer hours 😭
I don't have to drive to go to the store lol and I live in the country. You guys are just a bunch of children that need mommy and daddy government to hand you food and energy
I moved into Houston when I was just turning 16, and was able to get a driver's license. At one point, while sorting out visa issues, I couldn't renew my drivers license for under a year and it sucked. I was basically stranded, specially living in Katy.
I then moved to The Netherlands. Since I moved here as a student I couldn't transfer my drivers license over. I also didn't know how to bike until my then gf, now wife, forced me to get on a bike 5 years after I moved here.
So for 5 years, I had lived in The Netherlands without a method of transportation other than my feet and public transit. In that time, I was able to finish my bachelor's in a city different than the one I live in, get a master's, intern, work, go out with friends in different cities and travel thru the country.
wish i could go to the netherlands as well.
Europe got to rebuild off the money stolen from the Germans and Japanese during the world wars. Where is this free money for the US and Canada?
Don't expect much of Houston to change outside the loop. Outside the loop will remain car centric and not scaled for humans. It also does not have the bones to be anything else than what it is now. At least the inner loop has this advantage. Over 520k people live inside the loop and growing. Personally, I really consider the inner loop the "city" of Houston and the Galleria its edge city. Like a Le Defense with Paris.
Don’t get me started on living on the edge of the beltway it’s hell.
Lol what? I didn't need a car when I lived and worked in cypress. You chumps just don't know how to work
I think "great walkable areas" requires more than just sidewalks and a park. But hey, the first for Amsterdam was to add bike lanes, so there's hope.
It requires stores being near residences. IE mixing uses, You could have walkability at low density if you have mixed use
@@linuxman7777 but if Houston is a Euclidean zoning nightmare, that may not happen. What's its zoning laws like?
@@MiketheNerdRanger
There aren’t official zoning laws.
@@timdowney6721 While true, it has lots of other laws, which all have the same things stated in zoning laws. Not specifically stating it as zoning isn't the same thing as "there are no official zoning laws".
What? Burying zoning in other laws and ordinances makes people zoning suddenly isn't a thing? Oh no! But oh yes. And that's because people don't care about things like lot size requirements, parking requirements and so on as long as it isn't called "zoning".
Houston is on track to crash in the next 10 years. The roads suck, the weather sucks, and the crime is out of control. Lived here my entire life and I've never seen such a dump happen right before my eyes.
*I absolutely hate it here! I’m beyond depressed. My soul aches every day here. It’s HELL and I didn’t do anything to deserve it.*
Lots of nice walk-able neighborhoods in Houston, like West University, Bellaire, Upper Kirby, Museum District, Montrose. However, none of these areas are complete. The west University Shopping area would be fantastic if it had a grocery store. Bellaire, has WholeFoods and some restaurants, but no clothing stores. The Museum District has great parks, and um Museums, but no stores. Montrose and Upper Kirby may be the most complete neighborhood in Houston that is good for walkers.
Even Rice Village has some shocking pedestrian infrastructure. Just try pushing a stroller around there.
Houston will definitely not be better in 10 years than it is today unless there's a complete 180 from the direction its going
I'm curious on what you think it's doing wrong?
@@timizuokumor122 did you not watch the video? That’s for starters lol
@@timizuokumor122 Have you lived in H-town long? I've been here 40 years and Houston has turned into complete trash. It's actually shocking.
@@timizuokumor122 You really need to learn about context clues my friend. That's just embarrassing.
Maybe if we stopped voting the way we vote.... 😂 That might change something....
Accurate. I shouldnt have to make an unprotected left turn in what amounts to a road designed for highway speeds, and that has the same number of cars as a highway, except with a lower speed limit. Stroads are awful.
The entire state of Texas has poorly designed cities/ highways. San Antonio has a beautiful downtown area, but leave that and you’re surrounded by a maze of freeways.
And San Antonio Texas has gotten much worse since the time used to live there. There used to be no sub divisions outside 1604 loop and now there’s housing divisions much past there. And at least three spaghetti loops of major highways are new and on Loop 410 what used to be three lanes is now four or even five lanes in areas.
Oh and with the new lanes on the highways in San Antonio it is not made traffic easier in fact traffic is worse now with more people in more new subdivisions.
@@enjoyslearningandtravel7957 Yeah so true. At this point they have entire cities outside of the loop.
The new suburban growth around San Antonio is awful. The biggest problem with Texas cities is Texas itself, its constitution. Roads are in the constitution but no bike lanes, so guess what doesn't get funding from the state.
I'd have to agree with everything here. I moved first to Houston in 2008. I've always lived outside not just the 610 loop but also outside of the Beltway. Houston has some pretty nice large suburban developments with many more recent ones spending much more on pedestrian-centric planning. Do they still have a long way to go? Yes. The pandemic has eliminated my hour and half each way commute as our company is fully remote. This has really improved my quality of life...of course within the social distancing bubble we all endure. To be honest, I very seldom drive into Houston anymore & I stay off the main freeways & interstates for the most part.
Living outside the beltway is the worst experience I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy especially on the south east.
People always say, "don't go to Texas, you'll get SHOT!"
I've lived here 25 years. Never ever even almost been shot. I have, however, almost died on I10 and 59 many, many times
also, *FUCK* 610. Just thinking about it brings back violent memories
Just fuck houston in general
People in Houston drive without any regards to you or your family. If you honk, they threaten you with your life. I got tired of it and will never move back.
Let's face it. Houston is a huge lifeless parking lot.
*I hate it here!!! It’s horrible. It’s hell.*
I lived in Houston for 38 years. I will never move back. Everyone interesting or creative either stays and allows their soul to die, or they leave. All the improvements Houston has made over the last decade won't change that it's a car dependent hellhole. Houston doesn't blink twice to tear down buildings of any age and build something else in its place. History means nothing to Houston. It lacks any kind of geographic interest and the weather is either too hot or too cold. If there is anything worth doing, there will be enough traffic in that direction to make you wish you stayed home.
Exactly yet EVERYONE keeps portraying Houston as the nicest city on Earth, the true city of love, etc.
It is nice to see a response to NJB, which is very informative and well done as well. Glad to see that Houston is getting serious about improving the city realm. When NJB wants to make a point, it does not (have time to) include nuances, of course. On the other hand: NJB's arguments are on the full scale of the city structure: can you reorganize the city enough to make it sustainable on the long run? How much public infrastructure must be build to reduce traffic jams, and can the city pay for that? Or are the initiatives big, but by far not big enough to improve living within a generation?
He city can pay for it if they wanted to, instead they give billions to make traffic worse with bigger highways
@@joenuts5167 exactly, excuses is all Americans ever give for our bad cities, yet making pedestrian and bike oriented infrastructure is so much cheaper than building massive highways, it's just that priorities are all over the place in North American cities
The Houston Bike Plan is already designed and would transform the city within 5 years if we fund it.
Highways are public infrastructure too, and somehow people aren't outraged by the literally hundreds of billions of dollars being spent there in Houston alone. Even though they DON'T EVEN WORK for fixing traffic. Houston is one of the best examples of the highway paradox, and still they just keep on expanding them..
@@magnusdagbro8226 Because highway funding isn’t a local issue. It’s not one we really have control over, I’m speaking in general, not as someone from Houston though I lived in Texas many years ago.
NJB’s well presented videos tend to gloss over nuances or any real political/material analysis of “car brained” cities. He doesn’t take into account incentive or disincentive structures.
The problem with not just bikes is that he never analyzes population density. Houston only has 3000 people per square mile. If I up that to Amsterdam that not just bikes love to talk about so much. There is 12,000 people per square mile, then you will get walkable cities. Human beings don't choose to live in apartments when they have access to houses. If there is a lot of space and not a lot of people, people are going to spread out. When people spread out it takes longer to get from place to place, thus you need transportation. With more people that are more spread out, it make public transport not viable. Like I don't know why this is so hard for people to grasp. Go to any rural or suburban in Japan and it's the same story. It's just that these countries don't have a lot of land unlike the United States. I think people forget that the size of the US is about equivalent to the size of the entire Continent of Europe. It's not that America is car centric it is America is big, and cars are the only viable solution outside of major cities. That is exactly what you see, in places like NYC where there are a lot of people, public transport is amazing
Living in an apartment, where you can have a short stroll out the door and get your groceries is nice. Not having to maintain your big, dead lawn or you house is nice. Living in a neighborhood with a park nearby, some playgrounds where your kids can go, a short and safe walk to the school, is nice. There are some plusses on having a big house as well. But the neighborhood and the convenience are the most important parts of where you live.
njb brought up that oulu has the exact same population density as London, Ontario, Canada
Sorry but for me it seems a jail for kids that is terrible, i am from the Netherlands.
At first, thanks in large part to the comments; I was scared that this would be some irrational off-handed response to something a TH-camr said about their hometown, but in fact - I think it's a nice extension to the NJB video. It's only going to help further the discussion on places like Houston, and how we can improve them over time. Hopefully Houston in the next 10 years won't end up causing a travelling Canadian to be so distraught at how horrible the place is to end up spawning a whole Urban Planning series, causing thousands upon thousands of people to take note of the issues with the status quo of American Car-dependent urban planning practices.
Amen!
NJB is a nazi. He wants us into walkable cities. My grandparents where in a walkable city in the 40s, they called them ghettos....
You forgot the part when they mention that New York City had the best BBQ. Because that shit offended me the most.
lol
Yeah, that was probably the single most heinous things he said in the video. I've had Mighty Quinn's in NY, and while it isn't bad there are plenty of places in Houston that are much better.
NYC would only have the best bbq to someone who doesn't know what bbq is supposed to taste like.
@@jenniferharris7633 if barbecue is supposed to taste sub-par than perhaps I’d rather have bad but good-tasting BBQ
Grew up in Houston. Hated every second of it. Moved to NYC, New Orleans, and Boston. Loved everyone of these cities. I didn't need a car. There was culture, community, actual nightlife, nice people, pretty buildings--all things that just don't exist in Houston no matter how much the die hards say other wise. All of my friends have left Houston and moved on to greener (literally) pastures. It's nice to be able to walk places and live in buildings that are 200 years old and solid as a rock.
new orleans?I agree on boston and NYC
Im still stuck in the houston suburbs & hate everything about it. Every other city is being Houstonized as we speak so theres nowhere to escape from it
fuel will not flow like water in north america for ever.
But we act like it will.
That's why so many of people I know are going to biodiesel fuel (they actually change their car to be able to do this) or electric cars. Biodiesel and electricity (if we use solar, wind, etc) will be around forever.
@@jessicaely2521 But not in sufficient quantities, unless you want to starve mankind or prohibit all other uses of electricity except for transport. My point is, food and energy will be scarce in the future. Wise choices will have to be made by everybody in the world. The first and most important one being, having only 1, or max 2 children.
The sad part is that you think Houston only flows on oil. Houston has the largest medical center in the world, and is also one of the main hubs for aerospace (with an emphasis on space). It’s ports, while a great source the rest of the US’ fuel addiction, also provides a large portion of the US’ goods overall. There’s also the technology and banking sectors in Houston. Pretending Houston is oil only for Houston and Texas is reductive and meaningless for any argument you have about Houston’s urbanism or lack thereof
@@ronaldderooij1774 you're so full of shit. Sun, water, etc will be plenty for everything. Food will always be around also.
The best thing about Houston is there’s plenty of jobs. Everything else sucks. The weather is the worst. Very hot and humid all spring and summer. The mosquitoes will destroy you. You need a car to go anywhere. It seems like every year crime gets worse. Can’t wait to move out of here.
I've lived in Houston, Dallas, Austin and San Antonio. A car is mandatory for every one of them.
Sadly I have to agree!!
Where in the USA is a car not mandatory but isn't replaced with insane house renting or buying costs?
@@michaelbowen3351 crickets...............................
@@michaelbowen3351 even in new york a car is mandatory because the transit doesn't even cover the whole city and you'll have to go outside it eventually
@@michaelbowen3351 collage towns are somewhat affordable compared to other options and are usually non car centric. Ann arbor MI for example
After reading through most of the comments, I am surprised the weather was not discussed at length. The NJB video focused on the weather some. That author demonstrated it's possible to cycle or walk during the cool of the day, which in Houston is from predawn to about 11:00 AM. This is not a realistic time window to hold a job for most blue or white color workers anywhere in the world. In the South, rush hour is typically during the heat of the day with OPPRESSIVE heat from mid to late May through September and often into October. Ice tea at Christmas is common just because it's hot outside. People not from the South usually cannot fully appreciate this until they visit here during July or August. Try that 1 hour afternoon Houston commute back to the 'burbs when it is 95 to 100 F without AC and you'll find it is possible but that you very may suffer from heat stroke.
A third generation Houstonian told me the British diplomatic corps considered Houston to be a hardship post until air conditioning was available. Also, comparisons of Houston to cities in Northwest Europe is an apples to oranges comparisons. So, just stop it.
I'm in Houston at the moment and I have to say, I really like it even if I couldn't handle living here. Life isn't just about bike lanes and pedestrianization, it's so weird that people have become so dismissive of the other factors that make a city great. How about only having to work 2 days a week and still being able to afford a nice place to live?
My friend here lives Car Free on the LRT and just had a budget for the occasional uber. I live in a city that I basically spend my entire life within 5% of and I see no reason you couldn't do that here, the crazy zoning is actually another way of getting mixed use. Delivery for some building supplies or odd things that might not be within walking distance. Also, I haven't been here for a couple of years, but there is definitely traditional urbanism progress.
I'd bet big on Houston over the next few decades, classic "Used to be thought of, but now..." situations.
I agree with the sentiment that affordable housing is a value. Most of the comments from this video and NJB boils down to "I want the gov't to do everything for me" and we know how that works (Detroit, Baltimore, Chicago, Philadelphia, half the state of California). I live in Greater Boston and though many towns/cities are commuteable, good luck affording a place to live, cheapest place to rent is over $1000 for some 50+ year old craphole or you live under a slumlord for $700/mo in a room under 100 square ft. Not sure about you but my priorities hold living costs and job availability above superfluous wants like a downtown nightlife where I can burn all my money.
Having lived in Houston for many years. I completely agree with the original video. It’s not a good place to live as a pedestrian. I have had the very same experience trying to walk around in many different parts of the city. And surrounding cities, it’s designed for cars and only walkable in richer white neighborhoods or downtown. Houston is also swallowing up nearby areas like Conroe, the Woodlands, king wood, Katy, They are all following and I am not putting my roots here. As you said it’s a means to an end.
Tampa and Houston are both terrible pedestrian cities. Just god awful. Even Las Vegas is better to walk on foot than either of them.
Also Kim, the only bright spots of Houston seem to be Sugar Land and a part of downtown like W Shepherd where Cigar Emporium is and Amy's Ice Cream, that area. The rest of it sucks. Off to Galveston next then Beaumont . I am looking for a place to live traveling but HOU is NOT where I want to go and Sugar Land I'm afraid is too expensive also.
Great content as always! FYI the link in the description doesn't go to the NJB video.
Thanks I'll fix that!
Don't hate, just leave...
I've been visiting Houston for the last 5 years and in just that time I've seen some HUGE improvements.
However, I think the thing that really breaks my brain is that for a city that is so incredibly car-dependent, it has some of the worst car infrastructure I've ever seen (felt!). Unless you're on the freeway, you might as well be on dirt roads. Heck, dirt roads would probably be smoother. Good neighborhood. Not so good neighborhood. Doesn't matter. Some of the shoddiest roads I've ever been on. The roads throughout most of the Southern states that I've been on have been bad, but Houston specifically is beyond the pale. It's not even potholes. It's way past potholes.
The frustrating, yet also hopeful side of things is that it's so bad, even a little effort could make a huge difference. Expansion of the light rail so it serves communities that actually need it. Bicycle corridors. Removal of a few freeways. Ramped up mixed-use construction in & around the downtown area (including genuinely affordable housing). All things that could drastically improve life, and each one shouldn't be that hard to accomplish.
I definitely have to agree with the road quality part. The new concrete streets going in in Upper Kirby etc. are great but the areas affected are miniscule in comparison to the city.
I don't think that's contradictory at all? The more lanes you have, the more expensive the maintainance gets, the less money you have to spend per road. There's just no way you can afford to maintain so much infrastructure per person.
There's just so much asphalt it's impossible to maintain with city funds. They've made themselves insolvent.
@@ScottDaileyTH-cam is a
I spent 38 years in Houston. The improvements hasn't changed the quality or way of life for the vast majority of the people living there. It's enough for Houston to pat itself on the back, nothing more.
The comments show that NJB followers aren’t really interested in improving things. They’re not constructive. They enjoy hating and being sanctimonious. I think open minded people like you can make lots of great changes with tangible benefits and especially for the next generation.
NJB is just another FOTM content machine at this point. He's a reddit tier sophist who spouts the same simplistic opinions, calls every one who disagrees with him stupid, and generally lowers the level of public dialogue. He points to Strong Towns, who he says is a better resource, even though they're essentially the DER for college students.
All in all, he's a 21st century, 4th industrial revolution era Schizoid. I'm sure if he came out, said he had nothing else to say about walkable cities, and then pointed out that the revolution started at getting involved in your local govt, maybe something would happen. Maybe.
As a Europen living in Houston, feels like Im living on a median at a traffic stop. . on the other hand most other cirys are also bad. New York, Boston, SF, reminds me more about Europe
Lived in Houston for 5 years. Worst place I’ve ever lived.
*Imagine being trapped here and having family here. It’s HELL.*
Problem with Houston there is no zoning. Each neighborhood has its own deed restrictions. And a lot of those have expired last 20 years. There have been bicycle Lanes built up in the heights on West 11th Street, reducing traffic from 2 lane's each way to one lane each way and then people don't use the bicycle Lanes after they are built!! The same thing or Lawndale and 75th area!!
Yeah pretty pathetic
@0:20 to be fair to NJB, in the 10-20 seconds after this timestamp you are more Savage to Houston then he was
not wrong!
I've visited Houston for work. Aside from having favorable weather in late winter and early spring, there was nothing impressive about Houston. There is nothing to see and it's extremely humid and overall just an unpleasant place. People are ok but it's just a very lackluster place and extremely car-centric.
Houston sucks ass!!!!
I am a proud member and supporter!
We ANTINATALISTS understand ALL consequences of actions. Antinatalism understand the concept of taking care of THOSE WHO ALREADY EXIST, and STOP BRINGING IN/FORCING NEW people into existence. Same concept applies to physical infrastructure, too. STOP MAKING NEW PROJECTS!! Take care of what has already been built.
So your complaint is, you can't drive your bicycle around Houston. And there is to many parking lots.....and it makes you sad.......Go to work man. And try not to get robbed and killed by the REAL reason Houston is bad right now.
LOL. I know. I don't get these folks. How and when did cycling become such a cult-like mindset? The only "angry" cycling people i've heard of are motocyclists. They have gangs and all of that stuff. I expect that from them, not people who are in shorts and riding on a much smaller, thing, cheaper transit riding vehicle to be THIS heavily angry and demanding over something so little. Wow. Its sad.
And that is exactly why Houston is so sh!tty. Just work man. That's it. Most normal people would want a decent place where you can do stuff on your days off or after work or on holidays. Nasty Old Houston sums up the place.
I lived in Houston for 10 years, then moved out to west Texas for a few years. Was very happy out there. Ended up moving back to Houston for a job after a few years. It was eye opening to see how much the city had declined going away, then coming back. It felt like I was a frog slowly heating up in a hot plate the first time. I wanted to get out, but was comfortable enough. Then moving back, it felt like I was the frog being put right on the already hot plate and I wanted to get out immediately. I ended up leaving again a couple of years later with no intention of moving back. It’s just too big and unorganized. Dallas is a little more bearable because the suburbs were allowed to develop independently. Houston sort of gobbled up many suburbs and stifled the development of many others. I had a house in Katy for a few years and hated it. The commute into town on the new I-10 was terrible, there was nothing to do in Katy.
I fully agree with the point about Dallas allowing suburbs to grow independently while Houston gobbled. I like the city but rarely venture more than about 10 miles from where I live.
@@ScottDaileyTH-cam
I was the same way when I lived in the city. When I bought a house in the suburbs, that was pretty much the end of my time in Houston. Before then, I used to bike everyday, bike to work and I made it work. The suburbs like Katy have no hope.
I gave it a like to promote the not just bikes channel :)
Houston is kinda like those cities in the Persian Golf you see in those NatGeo documentaries, extremely prosper but with horrible planning, specially those insane highways crossing the city in and out. As the NotJustBikes channel and this video explains, the city isn't walkable and other than the fact that they look pretty from above is not the kind of place you wanna go to and discover by walking around since distances are huge and often you would have to walk under a highway and that's one of the most unnerving experiences a pedestrian can have. I mean, I wouldn't recommend to tour the city not even in a bike.
And while it is true that some things have changed, it would take decades and a lot of self criticism (like changing the car-oriented infrastructure, allowing the construction of mid-rise/multifamily and mixed use buildings and even tear down some highways) and use the money and spaces to build subway lines or parks.
But then many Texans would rise up and consider this as an attack against their American/Texan identity.
Lived in Houston all my life, I’m 23 and I can’t wait till I can afford to leave
where are you planning to leave to?
@@Tatusiek_1 diff country LOL
@@rienn8559 I hate houston man, I wish I knew how to get outta here
bro the bike lanes are next to the stroads so no one uses them or they die💀
🤣too true...
I don't think there's anything wrong with the city being laid out by private developers. That's how cities naturally grow. The problem is that that growth was oriented around the car exclusively.
Private developers determining the layout of new developments? That is not how cities and town in the Netherlands 'naturally' grow. The provinces in the Netherlands determine what needs to be developed and where. Then the counties make plans, acquire land, and develop the land into an area ready to be build on. This means the county determines road layout, puts in sewers and plans for all the other services to be put in place. The counties also determine which type of buildings can be build. After all this planning and preparing, the building lots can be sold to developers. In short, there is a much more structured process involved in the development of new areas, and the control over the process lies with the different levels of government, not with private developers.
@@hendman4083 ok
MidTown was rebuilt with 5 story apartments made out of wood. Yes, wood. They are designed to be torn down every 30 years or so.
Houston is terrible.
*It’s HELL here. I absolutely HATE it.*
If you're looking for a rare exception to terrible walkability in outer Houston, you should check out the Woodlands. Granted, it has wide, fast roads, tons of parking. But, the local roads all have adjacent trails alongside them which are paved, wide, and (very important during the summer) shaded, a feature that Houston pretty much doesn't have anywhere else. If you're fortunate enough to live near the commercial developments, you can accomplish pretty much all daily needs on foot or on a bike, and hardly need to step foot in a car at all.
Unfortunately, one thing the area does not have at all is public transportation, so even if you hardly ever need a car, you still have to own one, or be completely trapped in your local neighborhood. But, still, to be able to walk half a mile, 1 mile, 2 miles, to a local store or restaurant - and in the shade, no less - is something you normally just don't see in Houston, especially in an exurb 30 miles from the center of town.
I am actually very impressed with the Woodlands as a planning concept. Been meaning to make a video about it.
A 2 mile walk to the store is a comically long walk. Americans should visit Europe more often. In old european towns most your basic needs are within a 15 min walk.
Why does Texas love rough concrete roads so much?
Why does Houston end up under water every time it rains? Maybe because rain doesn't get absorbed by concrete? Is there really a lack of open space (grass and trees) in Houston?
It's a multitude of factors - flat, low lying land, inadequate storm infrastructure (especially prior to the modern flood regulations). Interestingly enough newer streets in Houston are intentionally designed to flood in order to protect buildings.
Many roads in The Netherlands also used to flood with heavy rainfall, so highways and roads suffering from that were replaced with dual layer ZOAB (Zeer Open Asphalt Beton or Very Open Asphalt Concrete in English), which is a hybrid concrete that allows for water to easily drain and reduces tire sound drastically. There are also (similar) types of open asphalt that is being used now that have even lower maintenance cost, require only one layer, making it faster replace (these hybrid layers usually last 10-15 years) and are on the long term more economically attractive.
Then again, when I see how little is being invested in American infrastructure in general, fifteen years to renew highways almost sounds Utopian.
Lol the Netherlands is flat and low as well.
@@bodigames most cities are flat enough to frequent with bicycle or on foot if the infrastructure allows it.
Y'all need to calm down on my city tho talking too hard on Houston...mayne! I get a can of paint turned it up side down and sip it distribute just like taint....sensei...don't play!!...like a gorilla untane....Mayne!!!!!!
Its ok cause a lot of people are moving there and to the state, period so your good. Would find all this talk a stinking nuisance.
I live in Houston and hate it now. The 80s was nice not too much traffic and low crime but now.. omg the traffic is freaking horrible and crime is through the roof in 2021 . Now retired, I'm going to the country.
Citys are good if designed well. But huston wasnt.
Same here. Htown went down hill starting in the 80s. I moved to Puerto Rico, which surprisingly, has better roads. Explain that.
What are you smoking? Houston in the 80s was way more crime ridden than it is today. If I’m not mistaken, it was the murder cap in the 80s
I lived in Houston all thru the 80s: Houston was terrible back then. Terrible roads. Constant freeway construction. And the same old nasty hot humid weather. Nasty Old Houston.
@@jky3889 Houston scarsdale area was clean and mostly crime free in 86, 87 up until 2000s u must of been in sunnyside or MLK area 🤔 downtown was not even that bad . I loved Houston and surrounding areas in the 80s
Yeah, pretty much. There may be some things about Houston I love, but there's so much terrible about it and it has a long way to go. I plan to find somewhere better to live when I can.
Even visiting Houston can reveal the hazards facing pedestrians. In the 1980s I spent many weeks in Houston hotels less than a mile from the building where I taught daily classes for my employer. Since I hated waiting for the hotel shuttle bus, I elected to walk from the hotel to work. Of course there were no sidewalks in the area, so I walked in the grass, which was wet with dew every morning. I wore tennis shoes for the walk and carried my dress shoes in a bag. Bicycling, of course, would have been hazardous to my life. Good riddance to Houston.
I thought this this was a very thoughtful response. While it didn't make me want to live in Houston, I really respect that you take your home city for what it is and reasonably could become rather than just fall into negativity. All the best!
I love this city and the people here but NJB was right about a lot of it!
As an European this was very hard to watch. What a complete desolate car infested concrete wasteland with no trees, no shade, no parks, no small stores, bakeries, cafees, playgrounds, NOTHING. Like....why do you live there? With US citizenship you can literally pick any place on the planet.
"no tress" lol. are you blind?
@@acoustic296 what a sad place.
@@tallle2 There are plenty of trees in Houston. The city is the size of several European cities and despite you knowing that from watching the video you still go on a tangent talking about a lack of trees. Different parts of Houston have different things. Then you double down. Weird behavior.
@@vaudou_ you know what is weird? Having to drive a CAR on a HIGHWAY to go to a store to get groceries. You are so brainwashed that you think this is normal life. Kids should not be locked inside their "suburbs" until they are 16. People are social beings not designed to be in steel boxes on a highway. Have you been to Europe? People consume 10 times less drugs because they are happy and can socialize on every corner in walkable cities. They dont need to stock processed foods weekly because a store or bar is around the corner. Their kids ride bikes or walk to school, there are no "soccer moms" because there is no need to taxi people around on highways. Dont you see that? Dont you see that this is the direct result of making it legal for big companies to bribe your policies and build a car dependent nation?
@@acoustic296 no they're not blind, they're looking at all of the goofy places where a tree genocide happened in the name of the cars
As I wrote in a comment on the original video: The area where he was walking is as far from the center of the city as New Rochelle is from New York City Hall in Manhattan or Van Nuys Airport is from Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles or Richmond Hill is from the foot of Yonge Street in Toronto.
@@katariina3319 Houston is a very young city. It was founded only 185 years ago. The vast majority of it has been built since the 1950s, if not since the 1970s. Having narrow streets is not a problem Houston has to deal with. The city proper covers 669 sq miles (1733 sq km) with 6200 miles (9978 km) of streets and roads. Retrofitting with bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure can only be done so quickly.
That's true, but thats just a further shot at Houston. A large portion of New Rochelle is still quite urban and fairly walkable. It doesn't have to turn into a inhospitable abyss as soon as you cross the city line. Also I think there should be some miminal standards within a city's limits, regardless of distance to it's downtown.
@@Wave02Z
Not to mention New Rochelle isn't a part of NYC. Yet has very good connections via bus and MNR to NYC. I think this goes to show how sprawly Houston is.
I dont get why everyone thinks Houston is the best place on earth for getting dates as a single young man.
In the same way that development spread over time, perhaps pedestrian conversion can also spread. De-concretification.
Houston grew too big too fast. Left Houston in 1980. So glad I did. It's hardly recognizable from earlier times. Question for those who still live there: Isn't it great that judges keep letting felons bail out so they can commit more crimes?! Now there's a way to improve a city, right? What good are green spaces if you're likely to get robbed or killed when spending time there?
Houston is wonderful. Love my neighborhood. Except for the wild peacocks.
@@ahubert285 *I hate Houston. This place has been hell for me.*
Dude I appreciate the way you look at Houston’s future, because I totally agree. Houston’s future is bright and that video the other TH-cam made was un fair tbh
The other guys channel is always disgruntled. Always talks negatively about many/most places and things. Even places that DO have a lot of transit and things going for it, like the latest video, but it still not up to par for him.
But that 's the schtick that gets the views and subs, somehow. Sad.
Houston's future is hardly "bright". Just look at the skyrocketing crime rate.
I wish all of you that hate Houston would move out!! Go someplace else and complain and leave us native Houstonians with more space and less traffic!
We would gladly, you wouldn't have to tell us twice. Enjoy your taxes in 20 years when TxDOT's spending spree catches up to them and they have to file for bankruptcy
The walkable areas mentioned still look like concrete hell to me.
And nothing shown on the video made me think of a nice place to live. Even the green spaces
My complaint is a road running through Houston. The same road mind you. Can change names up to six times . It would be so much easier to identify the same name connected to the same road.
Cars are a great asset, until they turn in to prosthetic devices. I liked watching Gas Monkey though, and even like to drive my oldtimer car, but the thing I like most is feeling the air blow though my hair on a bicycle ride.
Is urban living died with COVID?
I believe it did in 2020 but appears to be rebounding.
I am currently doing research in order to move. I am (was?) considering Houston, now I don’t know where to go. I am currently in Miami, but I am tired of over $2,500 rent for small, old apartments without central AC and other preferable amenities. Anything with the amenities I want is over $4k, while Houston has the same thing for $1,500.
NJB makes a good point in a lot of his videos, and I agree with him on a lot of the points he makes, since I'm also an avid cyclist who does not enjoy driving... but I just can't help but get this vibe from his videos that he thinks he is better than those of us who can't just pack up and move to Amsterdam, and sucks to be you if you are in Canada or the US. I can't stand watching him.
I don't get that vibe much at all; in fact, much of his content seems to center around ways people with lower socioeconomic status could benefit from more people centric urban planning. The only way I could see someone being offended is if they're car minded people. I feel like if he believed that it "sucks to be you" if you can't just move to Amsterdam, he wouldn't be making videos at all.
I disagree. His approach seems very educational while disparaging old mid century city planning. A lot of his videos bring up that people of lower socioeconomic status benefit from denser walkable neighborhoods. I feel like his goal is to show people that spent their whole life in suburbia how a proper city should be designed
Thank you for confirming the NJB video was about Willowbrook 😂😂😂 That was my back yard. I saw that Whataburger and did a spit-take.
If strong walkability is something you desire, Houston isn’t for you. If good diversity, food and shopping is, then you’ll love it
well, if it's possible to achieve both... Why not?
@@arinrumi You mean moving somewhere else or improving Houston’s wall ability? As someone who lives here, it is rapidly improving so I’m happy about that but some people are desperate and want it now which I understand
@@diegopimentel1361 the later. No matter how far someone is from their home town, they be back anyway. So improving is the best option.
A big major American city with diversity, although great, isn't very unique. Every town or city has delicious food, and I'm not sure what you mean by good shopping. Does that just mean that we have a lot of stores? Every major city has various different stores to choose from (depending on which part of town). Houston definitely isn't the worst city in the US, of course, but diversity, food, and stores aren't enough to make up for strong inconvenience for people who don't have their own car. If you don't have a car, you can't enjoy those amazing stores and restaurants if you don't even have a way to get to them.
@@mynameisreallycool1 Having a good shopping/dining/international scene isn’t just about the fact they exist. They enhance everything and day to day life. I’ve lived in a handful of cities in the US. The difference in every single one of these categories between Houston and the average American cities is very large and noticeable. And they come with many perks. Houston covers every angle of dining and shopping from the ultra high class to the most budget friendly.
Similar to how you say having good food and dining isn’t unique, the same is said about being car centric. Outside of NYC, there’s really no city where you can comfortably live without a car. Houston stands below average even for American standards while it’s far above average in the described above.
I love that Houston Planning Department includes this on their Playlist for transportation! You are the most positive reviewer of their work by far. Technically ella blvd isn't on the bike plan but the signs and faded markers are still present on the narrow lanes. A view to the left down w 12th st would be useful to show the multitude of parents pushing strollers competing with 18 wheelers to reach the daycare. The Planning Commission had an opportunity to improve the intersection but they gave Intown homes a free variance and threatened community.
I didn't even realize they had added that on their playlist! The infrastructure around here leaves a lot to be desired. We could use a street redo like upper kirby got.
Wow it's actually true. Guess they also know it's hell lol
While Houston is broken with public transit and walkability, it is the only city in the country that has a sustainable zoning policy, aka, no zoning.
Sadly you might have some nice 'walkable' area's, just, you need a car to get there. I rest my case.
I used to live in Houston but moved away after 14 years of living there. It was insanely dangerous and unsanitary there. Why do I say it’s unsanitary you may ask? Their Solid Waste department is by far the WORST solid waste department in all of America, or should I say, the world. I had my bin skipped multiple times despite me putting the bins 3 feet from each other, trucks would go past it and act like it wasn’t there. I called and they’re like; “We’ll have a truck out for ya in 2 days.” 2 days pass and trash is still sitting out there. Called again: “Truck will be there in 2 days.” Again, 2 days, no truck. Now, I am furious and I get my crazy neighbor involved and she starts screaming at the people to send a truck out. Sure enough, within 24 hours, a truck came out and the trash was gone. Absolutely disappointed. They used to be so good and now they silently refuse to pick up your trash. And I don’t know if that retard truck driver was disciplined like he should be because I saw the same truck sitting at a gas station. Thank god I moved and have waste management as my provider. But what happened with city of Houston made me lose faith in trash truck drivers.
So Houston is projected to not be shit in ten years? Are we counting the heat, hurricanes, flooding, earthquakes, snow, and complete shit energy grid? Cope
*Houston will be just as bad in 10 years. This place never improves. NEVER. I hate living in this hell hole.*
A genuine push to have building codes require new/renovated roads to have a separated bike lane and pedestrian path is a good start to get a city on the road (ha) to walkability.
@@cluelessmango768 Governor abbott R-TX would find a way to block a bike code because bike lanes aren't in the Texas constitution. Roads are in the constitution but not bike lanes. abbott was asked about this (San Antonio specifically, I think) a couple of months ago and that was his basic response. This is what happens when voting republican.
Ain't nobody trying to walk in Houston 🤮
It sucks tbh
Lol damn NJB stans are crazy
Downtown Houston has bike paths and Buffalo Bayou is a wonderful park and loads of people cycling.
That's nice inside the loop but outside well you have plenty of traffic
Yea. Houston is not much of a bike trail, lane city. Like said in the video it says s like a bunch of subdivisions, which decides how it will be designed by each. Almost as cities of their own in a big group to make up the city of Houston.
I am thinking in part, they do not think of adding those aspects in each subdivision so much because of how hot it can get here in the summertime. That and it's humidity can make it quite awful to be outside.
Some, Parkes may have jogging/ bike trails. But, they don't have it set up where there is a pain for each, but shared as one lane.
Just like everyone said. It really is one very large suburban city, where it , depending on the traffic at times, take, commonly take 2-3 hours to get from one end to another.
Yes we have a bussing system. But, it is more for down town. I have tried to figure it out when going to University of Houston, but never was really able to make sense of it. I lived most of my life right at the border of south end of Houston. Where the busses did start going there I think in the 90's. Though I also remember hearing it was used a lot of times for people to ride out of down town Houston so to find cars to steal and drive back.
Really interesting. Thanks for putting the video together!
Congratulations with your insightfull video. Greetings from Amsterdam
The voice volume varies a lot. Mic or some kind of processing issue. Makes it hard to listen to, with some syllables being suddenly louder than others. Most smartphones for example do awful voice processing and noise suppression which can damage natural quality, unless you use special raw/unprocessed audio input settings that some recording apps have.
I seem to remember it was Houston, Canada...
Why have people been moving to Houston for decades? Maybe they have never been to The Netherlands.
Houston will never become a walkable/bikable city. It’s barely a drivable one, we have had many pothole filling promising mayors that never get it done. On top of that it’s 90+ degrees with 50%+ humidity 60% of the year with summers filled with scattered showers almost daily. If you want to bike to work in Houston you better have a shower in your office. I think because it’s not a destination most people have traveled to, it’s hard to understand how hot and humid it can be day to day. I’d love to watch the bikes guy take a midday bike ride, half a mile, uncut and see how bad he sweats 😂.
They should be charged and hold accountable for the provide so unsafe roads, no markings on the streets, tree cover the stop signs and traffic lights and so on
Toeflop
It almost feels like most commenters didn't even watch the video.
Not even going to watch more than 10s of this video after reading the comments. Some of the most hateful vile posted in here, and they get liked by the channel.
You must be new to youtube because our comments are incredibly tame
I don't understand this "response" video. It doesn't really address any points. All you did was agree on everything and point out that the particular road NJB examines in his video was not the most walkable one, which does nothing, in my opinion.
It showed areas outside of the worst possible examples like Willowbrook Mall. It also showed how areas like Montrose, Midtown and 4th ward have become densified which is how much of the urban core is developing. I think he did a good job at highlighting parts of the city that outsiders may not know about.