[urbanactivist]

My Top 10 for the city of Houston (NOOO... Enron, Allison or Ike did not make the list!!)

10) Construction of the cities' sports facilities in downtown. Minute Maid Park (2000) and Toyota Center (2003) were constructed in downtown, creating a dependable area of interest for what was a barren wasteland of parking lots. This has proven to be one critical piece of re-energizing downtown Houston.

9) The construction of Reliant Stadium and the return of a major football franchise. Damn, the Texans are frustrating, but I’m still glad we’ve got ‘em. Reliant Arena was finished in 2003.

8) One Park Place... downtown Houston's first all-residential highrise constructed in over 30 years. Hopefully there will be more to follow.

7) The Port of Houston had a banner decade. Not only did it complete a massive modernization project, but also worked hard on ecological restoration for the Galveston Bay. It was the first port in the United States to meet international standards for environmental excellence (quite a feat for Houston lolol).

6) Houston's response to Hurricane Katrina. Perhaps Mayor Bill White's greatest moment... the city of Houston leased over 60,000 free apartments to Katrina evacuees after the storm, along with other brave tasks from other city services. Where the US Government faltered, the city of Houston was able to take up the slack.

5) The continued gentrification of Midtown. With successful developments like the Post Midtown, Randall’s Grocery store, and an ever-increasing slew of townhomes, Midtown is poised to be Houston’s next urban paradise.

4) Politics returns to the heart. The election of mayor Annise Parker was significant because Houston is now the largest US city to have an openly gay elected mayor. But perhaps what is even more impressive is that the city’s urban core has regained a political advantage over the previously dominant suburbs.

3) Houston’s Discovery Green is much more than “a nice park”. It has served as a catalyst to reinvent Downtown Houston, serving to boost convention business, and lead to the construction of a residential highrise, new hotels and office buildings, and surface-level retail. An award winner in green technologies, many view this park as the city’s crowning achievement of the last decade.

2) A 7-mile LRT line isn’t much by some city standards, but for the city of Houston, it connects the city’s two largest employment centers, all of its major sports facilities, world-class cultural institutions and a wealth of shopping and retail amenities. Though short, the Red Line served to fill a massive transportation void for the city. Thankfully the trend continues as 15 more miles of light rail are currently under construction.

1) Houston's greatest accomplishment during the last decade was the decision to look inward... political and economic impetus are now headed back into the urban core.