In the last decade, Houston has made tremendous improvements to the region’s quality of life. In addition to its low cost of living, arts and culture amenities, and more than 125 miles of hike-and-bike trails, the City of Houston is taking steps to make communities more pedestrian-friendly.
We asked Margaret Wallace Brown, Director of the City of Houston’s Planning & Development Department, about what steps the city is taking to create walkable places.
Walkability is more than a continuous sidewalk that allows people to get from one place to another. While safety is a critical component of walkability, so is comfort and interest.
The Walkable Places Program seeks to create a place where people want to be. With wider unobstructed sidewalks, a safety buffer, improved landscaping along the streets, more buildings with windows and doors right next to the sidewalk, and more mixed-use, compact development close by, it creates a more pleasant experience for pedestrians.
Walkability contributes to Houston’s quality of life in several ways.
First, it increases the wealth of businesses along walkable streets. Studies have shown that pedestrians or bicyclists can spend as much as 40% more than automobile users. High walkscores are often used by realtors to promote the sale of homes or business districts. Walkability also increases a community’s health by encouraging more heart-friendly activities. Finally, it’s one of the most equitable modes of transport.
The Walkable Places Program, along with the new Transit-Oriented Development standards, supports Houstonians’ desire for more walkable environments. It encourages pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use development with an enhanced, walkable public realm. This ordinance creates the following benefits:
This initiative is the result of two and a half years of intensive research and discussion by a committee comprised of residents, property owners, developers and other business leaders. They overwhelmingly agreed that this effort will provide a more sustainable solution, ensuring safe multi-modal transportation. This initiative was unanimously approved by Houston City Council on August 5.
We expect that the Walkable Places designation will be used primarily by commercial or mixed-use neighborhoods. Property owners who seek to support multi-modal transportation with a focus on walkability will realize great benefits from this program. It allows them to work with their neighbors and develop a unified plan to increase the area’s walkability. For businesses, this provides more pedestrian use, which studies have shown tends to increase retail sales.
When selecting the pilot areas, we looked for a diversity of environments that could serve as role models for expanding the program. We sought out areas that have:
We also sought out areas that would have community support, either through management districts or other community organizations.
The Walkable Places Program and Transit-Oriented Development Program are similar in the following ways:
The main differences between the two:
The Walkable Place program and TOD standards are effective on October 1, 2020.
The next step is to implement the ordinance. We expect Houstonians will see an increase in wider, unobstructed sidewalks with safety buffers and improved landscaping along the streets. They will also see more buildings with windows and doors right next to the sidewalk and it will be a much more pleasant experience for pedestrians.
We are making great strides in moving Houston toward a more multi-modal city. Other on-going initiatives include:
The Partnership’s Quality of Place Advisory Committee focuses on developments that improve the way Houston looks and how Houstonians live. Committee members support advancements in local aesthetics, green spaces and public-private partnerships that benefit the nation’s most diverse city. Learn more about the Partnership’s Quality of Place Advisory Committee.
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