In hot pursuit of world class!
As I've caught back up on the news since being out of the country, it's good to see that some Houstonians continue to toss out bad ideas in the hot (mad?) pursuit of world-classness. It lets me know I'm home!
Anne Linehan already noted that Mayor White wants the city to throw out its rules on obnoxious sign lighting downtown for the Pavilions (in the pursuit of worldclassness).
The Astrodome Hotel people continue to pitch their boondoggle, and if that falls through, well, maybe the decrepit old stadium can be turned into a movie studio (in the pursuit of worldclassness).
And then there was this great proposal during the debate over the consent agreement for METRO's ill-advised plans to lay yet more rail down very busy streets:
Stanley "Skip" Almoney, president of Friends of Mandell Park, said Metro should create a "pedestrian corridor" by leaving only one lane of Richmond open.
In the last month, I've zipped along on excellent transit systems in Philadelphia, Athens, and Amsterdam (no trains running down the middle of busy streets!). Those transit systems enhance mobility, rather than purposely reducing it, so they must not be world class. *ahem*
Seriously, it is mind-boggling that anyone thinks Houston will somehow be more world-class if we can just further choke traffic on important streets. Or create another boondoggle convention hotel that demand really doesn't justify. Or have tacky lights on a downtown "destination" that won't be a destination without them.
Maybe one day, we'll just come to grips with being Houston-class, and be okay with that. Because for anyone who sets foot in actual world cities on occasion, this local pursuit of world-classness can be cringe-inducing at times.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/18/08 08:43 PM | Print |
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