Whats so bad about it? (Houston: salons, motels, houses)

[whitegiant]

I dont know why people think that it is bad and ugly for Houston to have so many strip shops and houses. What is so bad and ugly about having them I think that theyre are some strip centers that look real nice from the outside and subdivisions arent all that bad looking either. So why do people assume that this is all that houston is and that it makes it seem so ugly. Wouldnt you rather have strip shops and homes than not have anything at all to go to and to live in.

[jfre81]

Of course not. You lack vision. I see a place where people get off and on the freeway. On and off. Off and on. All day, all night. Soon where Toontown once stood will be a string of gas stations. Inexpensive motels. Restaurants that serve rapidly prepared food. Tire salons. Automobile dealerships. And wonderful, wonderful billboards reaching as far as the eye can see... My God, it'll be beautiful.

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[usc619]

Originally Posted by jfre81

of course not. You lack vision. I see a place where people get off and on the freeway. On and off. Off and on. All day, all night. Soon where toontown once stood will be a string of gas stations. Inexpensive motels. Restaurants that serve rapidly prepared food. Tire salons. Automobile dealerships. And wonderful, wonderful billboards reaching as far as the eye can see... My god, it'll be beautiful.

lmao

[EasilyAmused]

And crosses!! Don't forget the crosses!

[theSUBlime]

Originally Posted by jfre81

Of course not. You lack vision. I see a place where people get off and on the freeway. On and off. Off and on. All day, all night. Soon where Toontown once stood will be a string of gas stations. Inexpensive motels. Restaurants that serve rapidly prepared food. Tire salons. Automobile dealerships. And wonderful, wonderful billboards reaching as far as the eye can see... My God, it'll be beautiful.

I think this is funny jfre, but I sort of agree with the OP. People like to bag on strip malls, but they're everywhere. It's just that in the NE, cities don't have huge parking lots in front of them and they have nicer/less sterile architecture. Parking lots are often barren, not well kept and sometimes full of ugly cars. Strip malls just need to be beautified in Houston, which would probably include the impressive goal of significantly reducing car culture.

[Spade]

Originally Posted by theSUBlime

I think this is funny jfre, but I sort of agree with the OP. People like to bag on strip malls, but they're everywhere. It's just that in the NE, cities don't have huge parking lots in front of them and they have nicer/less sterile architecture. Parking lots are often barren, not well kept and sometimes full of ugly cars. Strip malls just need to be beautified in Houston, which would probably include the impressive goal of significantly reducing car culture.

That's what it is. The parking lots is what people generally dislike. Parking lots make anything look ugly IMO and if they are too big, the area becomes undesirable. This is why many people dislike big box stores.

[stan4]

And yet, it frustrates me to no end to be in one of those cities where you have to fight and struggle and scratch up your car to find a parking spot so you can do anything. Urgh! Give me a big, wide open parking lot any day.

[TexasTheKid]

I don't understand why the parking can't be behind the buildings. It would make everything more pleasant.

[stan4]

Security, I'd bet.

[Supermac34]

Its really easy to make a parking lot look much, much nicer. Basically, even if the parking lot is big, all you have to do is plant some trees and shrubs around the exterior of it.

Better yet: try to incorporate the natural landscape into the parking lot. On my side of town, the Pappadeux's and Pappasito's on 1960 near Willowbrook accomplish this nicely. In older parts of town, where parking lots are just as big and numerous, trees and shrubs planted 25 years ago have had time to mature, thus creating a better visual landscape.