If you could change one thing and only one thing about Houston, what would it be? This would probably be a more constructive way for those with a problem with Houston to hear how they would go about fixing something instead of, for lack of a better word, whining about it. The one thing I would definitely change or upgrade to be more specific is the public transportation system. Some of you might remember Kathy Whitmire, our former mayor from many, many moons ago. I know many had problems with her, like myself, but I have to give her credit for trying to do something about public transportation. In the end it was one of the things that lead to her losing to Lanier. I think it should still be a priority if the city continues to grow the way it has. More rail and better bus routes would help ease traffic and pollution to an extent.
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****load more trees. Especially along the freeway. Put trees along the entire freeway. Less sprawl. Seriously - it's become really stupid. Public transportation. I cannot stress this enough. Get rid of the HOV, put in a rail system. Make it FAST and efficient. It's not that hard.
I love Houston but the billboards are an eyesore. Traffic sucks, but we'll never be able to change that.
the HOV lane here is stupid. You can onyl et off at certain points cause it is enclosed from the rest of the freeway. I spend a lot of time in California and they just have a diamond lane that you can o in and out of whenever you want, its much easier.
I wouldn't change the weather. It's part of the city's personality, love it or hate it. Like stated previously, I would get rid of the billboards, plant more trees, get rid of that HORRIBLE HOV lane and turn the space into a proper HOV lane (like I-10 west or Dallas) or an elevated rail system. I would also bring in an NHL team. As much as I don't care about hockey, it's a shame that the #4 city in terms of population doesn't have every major sport. I would move ahead on the 'grand parkway' loop as well. I would also bring back Astroworld/Waterworld. It's so sad that my kids won't be able to experience it.
Couple of things... Trees - Seriously, we have a LOT of trees. Just because they're not on the freeways doesn't mean we don't have any. Pull up the satellite view of Houston on Google Maps. What do you see? All I see is TREES. We have trees EVERYWHERE - that's one of the reasons I like it here so much. HOV Lane - I don't get this one. I used to think having rail instead of the HOV lane would be good, but what's the difference between riding a bus and a rail? There are Park and Ride's ALL OVER Houston. If you're not using them, you probably won't use rail either. And turning them into "diamond lanes" would defeat the whole purpose of having them separate from the regular traffic. Agree with the billboards though. WAY too many billboards along our freeways. They are a complete eyesoar. Just lose them all. There are very few billboards along the Hardy Tollroad and it DOES make a difference.
I'll second this. I'm looking south from my office on the west side. I see nothing but trees. There are buildings scattered among trees...not trees scattered among buildings. The area I'm looking out on now is about 50 years old, in terms of its development. Before it was developed, it didn't have nearly the canopy of trees it has now. The mature oak trees planted 50 years ago completely cover this side of town. You see it dramatically in a tall building. It is literally impossible for me to see the houses in the neighborhood which is right behind my building....because they're so covered with trees.
I would change nothing, if we changed something it would not be Houston. embrace it, I have to move to NYC in a few days and trust me I will miss it here.
One word: ZONING The lack of zoning is one of the main reasons that Houston is one of the uglier large cities in America
I would say humidity, but I'll say weather. Then I could bring down the temp and the humidity in the summer at the same time.
Fast passenger train from Downtown Houston (or light rail station) to Downtown Austin (or future light rail station).
Public transportation for sure. It'll cost billions, but getting rid of the HOV lane in the middle of 59 and replacing it with an elevated rail system would be perfect. It works for Chicago, why can't it work for Houston?
To a newcomer, it looks like we have 3 downtown areas (downtown, galleria & med center) Although this would be impossible... I would move all the medical center buildings to the Greenway Plaza area to link Downtown to the Galleria to make it similar to Chicago's downtown.
