Six months have passed since Hurricane Ike and the Lehman Brothers collapse. Lindsay Wise of the Houston Chronicle tracked down the most famous hurricane survivors. Lisa Gray took Robert Bruegmann to the remains of Freedomtown to take stock of what ten plus years of boom accomplished. See below for other headlines on the Houston area built environment.
Friday, March 20
Bikes a bonus for Rice graduate students: Students at Rice Village complex agree to bring no cars [Rice Media]
Scaling Back the Upscale: Allegro Builders, Downtempo [Swamplot] The builders known for new Victorian-themed houses in the Heights has slowed to a halt.
Jobs were key as Houston, state grew faster in '08 than most of U.S. CENSUS: People moved here to find work [Chronicle] "The Houston metropolitan area added more than 130,000 residents between July 1, 2007 and July 1, 2008, the second-highest number in the country after Dallas- Fort Worth, the bureau said."
Proposed toll for solo drivers in HOV lanes on hold for now Rates not yet set for ‘HOT lanes,' which officials say need more study hot: Stimulus funds going to toll lanes [Chronicle] "Wilson also told the board that it was during his meeting last week in Washington, D.C., with Federal Transit Administration leaders that he learned that the $92 million in stimulus funds should be spent on the toll lane project rather than on the North and Southeast rail lines."
Thursday March 19
$4 million bridge under construction at Memorial Park [Chronicle] The Memorial Park Pedestrian Bridge was initially designed at a Rice Design Alliance Charrette by Clark Condon Associates.
Brochstein Pavilion earns Merit Award for landscape architecture [Rice Media] "The Texas Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects has chosen the pavilion for a 2009 Merit Award, which honors outstanding work by Texas landscape architects."
FRIENDSWOOD Saving green by going green Company's new facility takes full advantage of methods to lower energy costs and be environmentally friendly [Chronicle] "A garden with curved paths of red lava rock dotted with stepping stones is on the roof. Nine inches of engineered soil covers a waterproofing membrane on the roof to create a living environment capable of withstanding high winds and temperatures."
Kirby's instant community may take time [River Oaks Examiner] Get a close look at the massive development on Kirby and Westheimer
Houston could learn from this Roman holiday hoffman: Dome deserves a little respect [Chronicle]
Inside THE BAY AREA Project updates provided at town hall meeting last week [Chronicle]
Hightower High receives $5,000 from Best Buy Gift funds documentary on county wetlands [Chronicle]
County expects $11.5 million for Ike repairs Federal funds will target housing and infrastructure [Chronicle] "Among some of the eligible housing projects may be new or rehabilitated houses, buyouts of flood prone properties, demolition, weatherproofing and repairs, homeless prevention, temporary housing or affordable rent. Among the potential infrastructure efforts may be restoring water and sewer, providing emergency generators for sheltering operations, managing debris, repairing drainage, bridges and public facilities, and providing special economic development activities."
Wednesday March 18
Fund improvements to the state's freight rail system and reap a host of benefits [Chronicle] "The freight rail folks are asking for follow-through on a constitutional amendment called the Rail Relocation and Improvement Fund approved by Texas voters in 2005 but never funded. They want the Legislature to set aside the dollars necessary to move freight tracks out of residential neighborhoods in some areas and to reduce the numbers of at-grade crossings in the state's 10,000-mile system, including 800 miles of track in this area."
Solo drivers get turn on HOV lanes Metro plans to revamp 83 miles of freeway to allow them access, with a fee LANES: Some doubt plan will help [Chronicle] "Christof Spieler, a board member of the local advocacy group Citizens' Transportation Coalition, questioned whether the project would offer much relief from congestion along those freeways. 'The busiest freeways also are the ones where the HOVs are the busiest already,' he said."
Texas farmers are finding success with oil - olive oil, that is - across the Lone Star State OLIVES: More than 250,000 trees expected to be planted [Chronicle] "There are olive orchards in Houston, Elmendorf, Wimberley, Austin and Dilley, among other areas of the state. By the end of the year, Henry expects that more than 250,000 olive trees will be planted in Texas soil."
Census shows growth in Texas isn’t slowing [Chronicle]
Tuesday March 17
Brochstein Pavilion / Thomas Phifer & Partners, The Office of James Burnett [Arch Daily]
Monday March 16
Sunday March 15
Notes on sprawl and empty spaces: Townhouses and shacks [Chronicle] Lisa Gray talks with Robert Bruegmann. "I was driving through the part of Midtown that might still credibly be called Freedmen's Town, the north-of-West-Gray bit that still shows vestiges of the way the historical African-American community looked 10 years ago - and, as at this little house, a hundred years ago."
SIX MONTHS AFTER IKE Survivors still haunted Financially and emotionally, storm's wrath hasn't stopped IKE: Survivors try to reassemble their lives [Chronicle] This amazing article follows up with the best-known storm survivors including the couple whose home was the only one standing in Gilchrest.
Saturday March 14
A ‘playground for the mind’ Visitors swarm expanded Children’s Museum [Chronicle]
Backtrack: Friday March 13
Area housing isn’t invincible and BLVD Place Whole Foods Scaled Down [Chronicle]
The Land of Oz: Ready to Rise Again? [Swamplot] "Here’s a surprise: a construction permit for a new 23-story Chinatown Asiatown condominium tower was issued yesterday for Park 8 Place."
