Is the Houston Metro "Beautiful?" (Dallas, San Antonio: shop, pine)

[madrone2k]

Yeah, the drive into town from IAH certainly does make a bad first impression. Years ago, there was some talk about doing something to make it look nicer, but no action followed. The most feasible thing I can think would be to use landscaping to hide the miles of cheap, ugly strip malls, etc. But ... in the end, Houston will still be Houston. People can put up almost anything they want, where they want, then let it decay. Kinda like the Holiday Inn / Days Inn / Heaven on Earth highrise downtown.

[Jack Lance]

Originally Posted by madrone2k

Yeah, the drive into town from IAH certainly does make a bad first impression. Years ago, there was some talk about doing something to make it look nicer, but no action followed. The most feasible thing I can think would be to use landscaping to hide the miles of cheap, ugly strip malls, etc. But ... in the end, Houston will still be Houston. People can put up almost anything they want, where they want, then let it decay. Kinda like the Holiday Inn / Days Inn / Heaven on Earth highrise downtown.

There is hope , maybe someday those strip malls will become eye candy instead of eye sores !

The American landscape is littered with the decaying corpses of strip malls.
These boxy retail behemoth were once considered essential to a complete postwar suburb. Today, 11 percent of strip malls in North America are considered totally derelict. Their fundamental design is a huge part of the problem. Situated on busy roads, they were meant to suck up the business of commuters traveling to and from work. Nowadays, however, fewer people are driving because of higher gas prices, more traffic and an increasing reliance on walking and public transportation. Plus, when you can put in an order at Amazon and get it the next day, why go to the mall?


Should we just stand and stare at these cavernous, dust-covered remnants of a bygone shopping era?
Rob Shields thinks not. Last year, the sociology professor at the University of Alberta's City-Region Studies Centre put out a call to repurpose dead and aging strip malls for our modern times. Designers from 11 countries accepted the challenge, filling Shields' inbox with all sorts of weird and futuristic strip malls. A jury picked the contest winners in January, which you can see along with other submissions below. For all you folks who have wanted to see a former JCPenney's transformed into a manure-holding area, these designs are for you. (Click on the names for full descriptions.)
https://www.citylab.com/design/2012/...ver-seen/1125/

[cBach]

That's not the way I would describe it.

[Texyn]

Originally Posted by cBach

That's not the way I would describe it.

Predictable.

[elnina]

It is cheaper to create an entirely new project than it is to reuse a building that already exists.

[Double L]

It is beautiful in that it has greenery. So it has very beautiful parks. Outside of that, not very beautiful but I don’t mind it being that way.

[magni]

I think only area that can be considered beautiful is the Woodlands. Unfortunately, almost all parts of Houston are not looking very nice, mostly due to the no-zoning. How can a place be beautiful if you have a petrochemical plant that is next to a park that is next to a hospital that is next to an auto repair shop?

[bohunak]

I think that Houston is beautiful in it's own way. Personally, I like how no zoning looks in Houston. Makes it interesting. I don't like manicured landscaping anyway. And, compare to other cities, Houston is clean. Sure, strip malls are ugly, but every city has something ugly.

[Texyn]

Originally Posted by magni

I think only area that can be considered beautiful is the Woodlands. Unfortunately, almost all parts of Houston are not looking very nice, mostly due to the no-zoning. How can a place be beautiful if you have a petrochemical plant that is next to a park that is next to a hospital that is next to an auto repair shop?

Because the regulations behind the form and aesthetics of those buildings aren't the same as the land-use laws that zoning entails.

Originally Posted by bohunak

I think that Houston is beautiful in it's own way. Personally, I like how no zoning looks in Houston. Makes it interesting. I don't like manicured landscaping anyway. And, compare to other cities, Houston is clean. Sure, strip malls are ugly, but every city has something ugly.

The lack of zoning is perhaps the most misunderstood aspect of this city, by both residents and outsiders alike.

[R1070]

Houston has a good mix of greenery and city living. I like the diversity of the flora there as well. Memorial Park and Hermann Park are beautiful urban parks.