Jax Chamber Trip: How Houston does it

[thelakelander]

The city selected to the Chamber's annual trip this year is Houston.  It doesn't have the greatest downtown they are overcoming several of the same challenges as Jacksonville, so they're a good example to visit:

By David Bauerlein 

A JAX Chamber leadership trip to Houston will give 123 participants an up-close look at how the nation's fourth-largest metropolitan area has carried out its economic development strategy.

Tom Van Berkel, chairman-elect for JAX Chamber, picked Houston for the annual leadership trip, which will run Monday through Wednesday.

Van Berkel is chairman, president, and CEO of Main Street America Group. The insurance company moved its headquarters to Jacksonville in the 2002 and has expanded to 11 new states in the past three years, bringing its total market to 27 states.
Van Berkel talked with the Times-Union about the Houston trip, the need for Northeast Florida to attract more corporate headquarters, and the growth prospects for Main Street America Group.

Why Houston?

I wanted to find a city that was committed to and had success with downtown development, which is a priority for Jacksonville. I wanted a city that has a vibrant and successful port. I wanted a city that has some kind of body of water because downtown Jacksonville has one of the most beautiful rivers running through it, and also a city has same kind of logistical issues that we have - a city that's large in size and has done something with light rail. The fifth piece was a city that has some of the same types of public education challenges that we face. Houston met all that criteria. It would be a city that's a little aspirational for us.

In what sense would it be aspirational?

We'll never get that big. But what it can do is say, "Look, here's a city that is large and has done well with many of the same challenges that we have." It's not just size. It's what they've been able to accomplish

full article: http://jacksonville.com/business/2011-09-24/story/how-houston-does-it-qampa-tom-van-berkel-jax-chamber

[thelakelander]

5 Things For The Chamber To Visit In Houston's Urban Core




1. Metrorail - Red Line

http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2008-mar-rail-without-the-fta-houston-metrorail

This heavily used 7.5 mile LRT line connects downtown to Texas Medical Center.  It's an example of something pushed forward with the momentum of hosting a Super Bowl (the year before we hosted ours) that ends up being a long term legacy project for the city's residents (our lighted brigdes are the most visible long term improvement we did).  This line attracts something like 40,000 riders a day because it connects two high employment centers,  an university, major public park and sports facilities.  It's a great example of a starter fixed transit line.  Oh, did I mention that it was built with local dollars since the state and feds were against it?


2. Texas Medical Center

http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2010-sep-is-jacksonville-ready-for-an-urban-medical-district

One thing I loved about Rick Mullaney's failed bid for mayor was his desire to transform the Shands area into an urban medical district.  The synergy created by clustering medical/health related uses together is something that Jacksonville can easily take advantage of the create jobs and spur economic development in the heart of the city.  The Texas Medical Center is a great example of this.


3. Discovery Green

http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2010-sep-the-best-new-urban-parks-in-the-us

Many would like to city public green space created at the new Courthouse and Shipyards site.  Houston has one of the best new interactive urban parks in the country.  Anyone visiting downtown, should at least attempt to walk through it.


4. Port of Houston

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_of_Houston

We developed the concept of containerization but Houston took the idea and ran with it.  Today, its the second busiest port in the US.  Enough said.


5. Downtown Houston

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downtown_Houston

Its not the most vibrant place but a good case study for Jacksonville.  They pretty much face the challenges we face with our downtown and encouraging revitalization.  However, unlike us, they've stopped talking and have begin to implement things that will enhance their downtown in the long run.  Major attractions created in the last 10 years include placing LRT down Main Street, creating a nightlife district on Main (centered around that LRT line), Discovery Green, a new convention center and a massive Transit Oriented Development (TOD) called Houston Pavilions.

To those who will be going on this trip, have fun.

[urbanlibertarian]

Drew Carey made a series of videos with reason.tv about how to fix Cleveland.  The answers they came up with mostly consisted of "You should be more like Houston."  Here's a link to the video series:

http://reason.tv/video/show/1050.html

[simms3]

I think the reasons Mr. van Berkel laid out for going to Houston are very legitimate.  I graduated HS with his son...the family is from the great state of New Hampshire.  He has been here for 8-9 years and has already made a pretty good mark on the city.

I do think Houston has one of if not the worst central business districts for a city its size, though.  We do so much business in Houston and Dallas and those two cities are worlds apart from each other, but I don't know if I could live in either one.  I don't care that their economies are booming (they are attracting soooo many lowwww paying jobs, hmmm), I don't care that there are more millionaires and billionaires there than anywhere else in the south, I don't care that [insert something here].  They have a long way to go to being vibrant gateway market type cities.  Houston is so dense, and on a grid, yet the whole city is kind of dead and sleepy.  Dallas is so "nice" everywhere, yet everything that gets built is its own separate little thing.  You have to drive a car just to get from one block to the next, even in some of the densest areas.

I'll take less heat, equal to better pay, more intellectual stimulation, varied topography, more trees, more old buildings and grit, more universities, better transportation, and a closer connection to the eastern seaboard any day of the week, even if it will cost me more.

[Jdog]

Inasmuch as I appreciate what we can learn from the efforts in Houston, I'm not in love with seeing the word aspire in the quote (maybe the TU meant inspirational?). 

[Steve_Lovett]

Ennis - thanks for the 5-point suggestion.  I will be participating in the Chamber's Leadership Trip to Houston again this year.  It will be my fourth such trip, following Seattle (2008), Kansas City (2009), and Indianapolis (last year).  I've only been through Houston's airports, but my perception of Houston has never been high based on what I've heard from people who have lived and worked there.  It will be interesting to see how the connections with Jacksonville are presented, and I'm looking forward to the time in Houston and learning about the merits of the city.

[simms3]

^^Ha, didn't realize those 5 reasons came from Ennis.  I echo/repeat that I like those reasons for visiting Houston because there are no other reasons to visit!

[Steve_Lovett]

^^Ha, didn't realize those 5 reasons came from Ennis.  I echo/repeat that I like those reasons for visiting Houston because there are no other reasons to visit!

Ok, I don't know the origin of the list, but I was giving Ennis credit for posting them as a part of this thread.  Are you suggesting that there are no other reasons to visit based on perception, or personal experience?

[dougskiles]

I am impressed with their decision to continue LRT instead of BRT, in spite of the state and Feds.  Even more so, when you consider how much oil is a part of their economy.

[thelakelander]

^^Ha, didn't realize those 5 reasons came from Ennis.  I echo/repeat that I like those reasons for visiting Houston because there are no other reasons to visit!

If you're looking for a pedestrian friendly city in the same light of a San Francisco, DC, Chicago or New Orleans, then Houston isn't your place.  If you're looking for a city that has recently faced similar issues Jax is currently dealing with (Sunbelt sprawler, a bringing life to a downtown that empties out after 5pm, port expansion, two beltways, a recently built convention center, starter fixed mass transit vs BRT, TOD, medical/health clustering, etc.) then Houston is a great place to go.  My last visit to Houston was in 2006.  I wasn't impressed with downtown (that underground tunnel system just sucks the life off the streets).  However, I did like the amount of urban infill that had taken place in neighborhoods just outside of downtown, the cultural diversity and its proximity to Galveston.

[thelakelander]

Oh, they also have several great examples of adaptive reuse projects involving historic highrise buildings.  When I was there, I stayed in a Courtyard by Marriott that had just opened in an office building with a similar scale to Jacksonville's old Barnett Bank Building.

Experience old-style luxury in the Courtyard by Marriott Houston Downtown Hotel, housed in the stunning 1921 Humble Oil Building. From its neo-classical exterior to polished rose marble and original brass elevator doors, the building has been lovingly restored.

http://www.hotelplanner.com/Hotels/28786/Reservations-Courtyard-Houston-Downtown-Houston-916-Dallas-St-77002

[thelakelander]

I am impressed with their decision to continue LRT instead of BRT, in spite of the state and Feds.  Even more so, when you consider how much oil is a part of their economy.

In addition to moving forward on a starter line without State and Federal support, the short LRT line attracts over 34k riders a day.  This suggests that fixed transit can work in Sunbelt sprawlers, no matter the length, as long as reliable service that connects riders directly to destinations that they want to go is provided.  Whether its streetcar, commuter rail, skyway or even BRT, this is something Jacksonville and JTA needs to keep in mind.

METRORail is the 7.5-mile (12.1 km) light rail line in Houston (Texas, USA). It is the second major light rail service in Texas following the Dallas Area Rapid Transit system. With an approximate daily ridership of 34,155, the METRORail ranks as the fourteenth most-traveled light rail system in the United States, with the second highest ridership per track mile. METRORail is operated by the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/METRORail

[manasia]

Hopefully the folks visiting can take good notes. Sounds like a good idea.

[tufsu1]

sadly Houston is now building a 3rd beltway....so hopefully noone on the Chamber trip gets inspiration from this

[thelakelander]

Wow!!