[min-chi-cbus]

Originally Posted by mhays

I read it when first posted. Looks like some great spaces. The trees are crucial of course.

As for "the placemaking capital of NA", it would seem more accurate to say "Houston is making strides in providing a sense of place". The superlative can't be pinned on Houston's boosterism, but it can probably be pinned on PPS's self-congratulation.

In nearly every post about Houston, I say I'm impressed with the direction it's going. But I keep seeing these "best", "biggest", "most" claims. I find these annoying and generally based on spin, and/or used to make questionable larger claims.

In the 1990s I did a fair amount of research about city park systems, working for a Seattle group that wanted to build the "Seattle Commons" alongside Downtown. This involved a lot of phone calls to city park departments, planners, etc., often followed up by them sending reports by mail. One thing that struck me was the commonness of "biggest" claims. Some didn't know what they were talking about, while others probably did know, but gerrymandered their wording to make misleading claims.

Back to trees...I wish my city would learn this lesson. When it's over 70, people here huddle in whatever shade is provided, and new parks are often severely lacking in this.

BAM -- This is it!