Houston's Downtown Is, Like, Nothing But A Sea Of Parking Lots...

bilbao58 · #1 Posted **Aug 1, 2024, 5:58 PM**

Except not really.

<RANT>

According to Parking Reform Network, 25.8% (a terrible number) of Houston's downtown land is used for off-street parking, whether surface lots or multi-level garages.
That places Houston at number 41 on their list of 102 cities ordered by least to most land used for off-street parking.

https://parkingreform.org/resources/parking-lot-map/

These are all the cities listed as "worse" than Houston:

Bakersfield, Jacksonville, Hartford, Des Moines, Atlanta, Charlotte, St. Louis, Lincoln, Memphis, Columbus, Providence, Indianapolis, Knoxville, Toledo, Allentown, Dallas, Aurora.C, Henderson, NV, Newark, St. Petersburg, McAllen, Grand Rapids, Raleigh, Rochester, Dayton, Tampa, Albany, San Antonio, Salt Lake City, Sarasota, Fort Worth, Kansas City, Buffalo, Harrisburg, Fort Myers, Louisville, Birmingham, Detroit, Tulsa, Greensboro, Mesa, AZ, Orlando, Albuquerque, Anaheim, Corpus Christi, Baton Rouge, Las Vegas, Riverside, Little Rock, New Haven, Fresno, Anchorage, Worcester, Melbourne, FL, Wichita, Virginia Beach, Columbia, Lexington, Arlington, TX, San Juan, San Bernardino

Here are some of the larger or more interesting (to my mind) cities listed above with their percentages included. I've highlighted those that I find most interesting.

Atlanta 26%
Charlotte 26%
St. Louis 27%
Memphis 27%
Columbus 27%
Providence 27%
Indianapolis 27%
Dallas 27.3%
Newark 28%
Tampa 29%
San Antonio 29%
Salt Lake City 29%
Fort Worth 29%
Kansas City 29%
Buffalo 30%
Detroit 31%
Tulsa 31%
Orlando 33%
Albuquerque 33%
Anaheim 33%
Corpus Christi 33%
Baton Rouge 33%
Las Vegas 33%
Worcester, MA 35%
Wichita 35%
Arlington, TX 39%
San Juan 41%
San Bernardino 49%

The widespread misbelief among many amateur urbanists, especially those less skilled in critical thinking, that Houston's downtown is nothing but a sea of surface parking has been, I believe, propagated by the use on some urbanist websites and YouTube channels of a certain infamous photo taken almost a half-century ago.

Here's the photo in question along with a photo from 2023.

"Downtown Houston at Dawn" - Art Wager
https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/p...&adppopup=true

I know most on this forum know better, but it's still interesting to see where Houston really falls in the list from best-to-worst.

</RANT>

The North One · #2 Posted **Aug 1, 2024, 6:07 PM**

Houston's issue isn't just parking. The downtown is basically just a glorified office park.

Detroit's largest parking lot is currently a construction site for the UMich campus so they're at least slowly being eaten away.

bilbao58 · #3 Posted **Aug 1, 2024, 6:19 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by The North One

Houston's issue isn't just parking. The downtown is basically just a glorified office park.

I am EXTREMELY aware of Houston's issues. This thread is about one particular misperception.

And that "glorified office park" has at least 29 hotels, a major park, a convention center, an MBL baseball stadium and an NBA basketball arena, an MLS soccer stadium only 3 blocks away, 3 light rail lines, 5 major performing arts facilities, a performing and visual arts high school, multiple food halls, at least 12 high-rise residential buildings and multiple mid-rise apartment buildings, and is laid out in a totally walkable grid in a way that "office parks" rarely are. https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/sho...wntown+Houston

ETA: What Downtown Houston really lacks now (as opposed to historically) is retail. That, and the lack of tourists, is responsible for its lack of a lively daytime pedestrian scene.

mhays · #4 Posted **Aug 1, 2024, 6:56 PM**

No doubt it's far better than before, and "office park" is wrong.

The residential population is way up, but still low. Extrapolating from the 2020 census numbers inside the freeway loop, it was around 6,000 per square mile over 1.8 sm omitting the giant jail complex. Another square mile to the west and south averaged about 14,000. Couple that with some 20-24 growth and you could define a "greater downtown" area of 2.8 sm averaging 9,000/sm today. Add the jail and it would be over 10,000.

For a true mixed-use feel with urban energy over a large area, 20,000/sm is very helpful. 40,000 is fantastic. 80,000 is even better (core Manhattan +/-).

It's not that simple of course. The event and arts crowds are helpful, but there's not a general tourism crowd. I mean areas where you can always walk outside and see hundreds of tourists on the street. Many US cities have multiple core districts like that.

Nouvellecosse · #5 Posted **Aug 1, 2024, 6:57 PM**

Perhaps it isn't as bad as some people think, but at the same time I'm not sure that list makes the best case. It's disproportionately much smaller cities that fall below Houston on the list with the only cities in the same size range being Atlanta and Detroit. In fact Atlanta is the only one of the 10 largest US metro areas that's lower, and Atlanta, along with Tampa / St. Petersburg and Detroit are the only ones in the 20 largest metros that are lower.

It's like creating a thread to say, "It's not red; it's actually burgundy!" When i was expecting... I dunno, blue or something. But yes, it's not the worst.

mhays · #6 Posted **Aug 1, 2024, 7:04 PM**

PS the chart looks a little sketchy...even as a Seattle homer I can't think of any scenario that would put us ahead of Philly.

Doady · #7 Posted **Aug 1, 2024, 7:20 PM**

A lot of streets seem to lack on-street parking. Lack of on-street parking not only means more need for off-street parking, but it also means no traffic calming and no buffer between car traffic and pedestrians.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/wUXFFe9P9B6LdQkP9
https://maps.app.goo.gl/SyRTC8e7v1BwnDQP9

Lack of on-street parking is very much a suburban thing. Office parks have parking off the street. Real downtowns have parking on the street.

In Canada, the city of Hamilton is notable for not having parallel parking on its two main east-west corridors, Main and King Streets, and they are very pedestrian unfriendly as a result. Parking on the street is important for a healthy and vibrant downtown.

cabasse · #8 Posted **Aug 1, 2024, 7:32 PM**

the chosen boundaries seem somewhat arbitrary. NYC's uses a small square somewhere in midtown, for example. (not even "downtown" manhattan)

https://parkingreform.org/resources/parking-lot-map/

bilbao58 · #9 Posted **Aug 1, 2024, 7:33 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

It's disproportionately much smaller cities that fall below Houston on the list with the only cities in the same size range being Atlanta and Detroit. In fact Atlanta is the only one of the 10 largest US metro areas that's lower, and Atlanta, along with Tampa / St. Petersburg and Detroit are the only ones in the 20 largest metros that are lower.

Ummmmm...Dallas and Fort Worth. St. Louis. Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario. But we're talking downtowns. Not metro areas.

bilbao58 · #10 Posted **Aug 1, 2024, 7:38 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by cabasse

the chosen boundaries seem somewhat arbitrary. NYC's uses a small square somewhere in midtown, for example. (not even "downtown" manhattan)

https://parkingreform.org/resources/parking-lot-map/

I know. That one is weird. Most that I've looked at seem sensible.

bilbao58 · #11 Posted **Aug 1, 2024, 7:45 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doady

A lot of streets seem to lack on-street parking. Lack of on-street parking not only means more need for off-street parking, but it also means no traffic calming and no buffer between car traffic and pedestrians.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/wUXFFe9P9B6LdQkP9
https://maps.app.goo.gl/SyRTC8e7v1BwnDQP9

In your street view links:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/wUXFFe9P9B6LdQkP9 Halfway up that block on the left is multi-space parking meter. The street view photo looks like it was taken during restricted parking hours.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/SyRTC8e7v1BwnDQP9 Signs on the left indicate metered perking for the entire left of that block.

bilbao58 · #12 Posted **Aug 1, 2024, 7:55 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doady

A lot of streets seem to lack on-street parking. Lack of on-street parking not only means more need for off-street parking, but it also means no traffic calming and no buffer between car traffic and pedestrians.

Lack of on-street parking is very much a suburban thing. Office parks have parking off the street. Real downtowns have parking on the street.

In Canada, the city of Hamilton is notable for not having parallel parking on its two main east-west corridors, Main and King Streets, and they are very pedestrian unfriendly as a result. Parking on the street is important for a healthy and vibrant downtown.

mhays · #13 Posted **Aug 1, 2024, 7:58 PM**

That appears to be two links repeated.

bilbao58 · #14 Posted **Aug 1, 2024, 8:14 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by mhays

That appears to be two links repeated.

Yeah. That's what I said. It should be fixed now.

IcedCowboyCoffee · #15 Posted **Aug 1, 2024, 8:24 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by cabasse

the chosen boundaries seem somewhat arbitrary.

Yes, downtown Dallas is traditionally considered to be the area within the freeway loop, but the Dallas map here arbitrarily cuts out the arts district, east quarter, and farmers market neighborhoods. This is how those areas look added in:

Crawford · #16 Posted **Aug 1, 2024, 8:30 PM**

I'm highly skeptical of the methodology. San Juan has a great, intact core. Worcester? New Haven? Intact.

benp · #17 Posted **Aug 1, 2024, 8:34 PM**

I would be interested in seeing maps or data on pedestrian accessible street entrances to businesses/residences/buildings within downtown cores. It's not just parking lots and structures that kill street life, but the long stretches, sometimes blocks, that are either nothing but walls or driveways to entrance ramps for cars.

bilbao58 · #18 Posted **Aug 1, 2024, 8:38 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by benp

I would be interested in seeing maps or data on pedestrian accessible street entrances to businesses/residences/buildings within downtown cores. It's not just parking lots and structures that kill street life, but the long stretches, sometimes blocks, that are either nothing but walls or driveways to entrance ramps for cars.

Sad thing is, in Downtown Houston, of the large block-sized (or almost) structures, it's often the parking garages that have the street side and sidewalk accessible retail and dining. That is changing with the newest developments. There are some BRUTAL massive blank walls downtown.

ETA: Lack of retail and tourists REALLY kills street life. I can remember when Downtown Houston had multiple department stores. It wasn't nearly so dead.

vetteking · #19 Posted **Aug 1, 2024, 8:48 PM**

Houston downtown is more developed than my city (Jackson, MS) so I don't agree with your comment. It has parking lots but not as much as some cities with less development.

Nouvellecosse · #20 Posted **Aug 1, 2024, 8:49 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by bilbao58

Ummmmm...Dallas and Fort Worth. St. Louis. Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario. But we're talking downtowns. Not metro areas.

St. Louis and San B aren't in the top 20 but yes i missed Dallas. But regardless, larger metros tend to have stronger, denser downtowns. So while you may be ignoring metro area size, I'm not because metro size is relevant. We can see that in how size correlates with the list. Beating much smaller metro areas is easy. How a city compares to it's peers of a similar size and prominence is much more relevant for me. That's probably why Houston has the reputation it does since it's such a large and prominent city/metro and people compare it to others of that caliber.