Alexander Garvin Houston Chronicle Article
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G8 | Sunday, October 9, 2016 | Houston Chronicle | HoustonChronicle.com and chron.com xx ZEST STYLE &DESIGN URBAN PLANNING What makesagreatcity? Look to Uptown Houstonfor answers By Diane Cowen canopy,” said BobEthing- ton, director of research Alexander Garvin flips and economic develop- throughhis newbook, mentatUptown Houston. “WhatMakes aGreat “We’re not planting little City,” until he reaches sticks.We’replanting 800 asection on Uptown big,beautiful trees. When Houston. we’redonewiththis, it He points to aphoto will almostbelikewalk- dated 1961, showing the ing throughapark.” suburban countryside. It’s what Garvin,aNew Thereisno610 Loop, Yo rker whowalksoruses no Southwest Freeway. the subwayfor transpor- No Galleria.Noswanky tation, calls the public shopstugging at the purs- realm —streets,parks, es of the city’saffluent. landscaping and side- Another snapshot walks — of which we have showsamuch changed ashared ownership. landscape by 1978: “It’swhat’simportant Highways form beauti- to us. We ownit,” Garvin ful loops, high-rises cast said.“Thereason Iwrote long shadows, and the about Post Oak Boule- Galleria shopping center vard is because Ithink has become abragging it’s about to become one point. Even in the heatof of the greatpublic realms summer,you can go ice of the world. As Isay in skating indoors. the book,one of the great By 2007,Uptown UptownHoustonphotos boulevardsofthe U.S.,if looked much as it does Work is underway on theexpansion of Post OakBoulevard to add twodedicatedbus lanes and 12-foot sidewalks. not the No. 1.” today: busystreets, spar- kling retail stores, chef- What’sahead drivenrestaurants and Millennials crave time beautiful landscaping. with their friends, have Garvin captures all astrong sense of com- of this, with ahistoryof munity and are digitally howand whyitevolved, native.They also are less in “WhatMakes aGreat interested in owning cars, City,” acompilation of opting for walkingorrid- remarkable features in ing bicycles, mass transit cities all overthe world. and catching Uber rides Houston’s portion is when they can. dedicated to the planning If thatgenerational and growth in Uptown, traitcontinues, Garvin but he visits the San said,consider one more Antonio Riverwalk,too. coming change: fewer Histravels —and his Alexander Garvin includedUptownasaprime Millennials’tendency to favorwalkingand bikes is parking garagesand snapshots —takeyou example of strong evolutionofthe “public realm.” likelytomean fewerparkingplaceswill be needed. parking lots. elsewhere in the U.S.:Chi- Histheoryisthatas cago,New Yo rk,Denver, people walk and bicycle Boston, Pittsburgh,San from acity. Igoplaces bad,” he said. “Great cities lowedbydesigns of other more,we’ll need fewer Francisco and other cities. to see what’s going on,” keep investingintheir well-known architects, parking places. Addin He also visits Italy, Garvin said. Sometimes public realm and keep such as Cesar Pelliand Uber andthe potential for France,Spain, Switzer- he picks aspot and photo- making it better.” I.M. Pei. driverless cars, and we’ll land, Russia, Croatia, graphs it at varioustimes Examples are Third “Ifyou have agreat need even fewer. Canada and Denmark. of the day. Othertimes, Street in Santa Monica, architect, youget abetter “Look at all of the Educated as an archi- he photographs the same Calif., and Times Square building.Ifyou have a parking fields out here,” tect, Garvin has taught spot at intervals over in NewYork. In Santa better building,it’seasier Garvin said from the urban planning and decades. He’s even been Monica, thatstreet was to getcustomers for it,” Uptown Houston’s 17th- management at Yale Uni- known to commission once filled with vehicular Garvin said.“If people floor offices on Post Oak. versityfor half acentury. mapdrawingstodocu- traffic but weis no xclu- have achoicetomove “Ifyou call and askacar He’s also CEO of AGA mentchanges. sively for pedestrian traf- into abuilding by Philip to arrive,itdoesn’t have to Public Realm Strategists During his recentvisit fic.Times Square,once Johnsonorsome schlock occupy aspace in one of and wasresponsible for to Houston, he spoketo ‘WhatMakes riddled with crime and building at the same price, those parking fields.” planning the rebuilding of architecture students at aGreat City’ porn, is nowclean, bright they’ll go to the building He also said that— the WorldTrade Center in the University of Hous- By Alexander Garvin and filled with people. by PhilipJohnson.” at least in theUptown NewYork. ton and Rice University Island Press; In Houston, Garvin area —older,low-slung Over the years, confer- and to an audience at the $39.99 paperback, credits Gerald Hines, UptownHouston buildingswill soon be ences, lectures and calls Kinder Institute. $80 hardcover; 344 pp. whoserealestateacu- Garvin ravesabout gone.Assleek high-rises from friends and former “WhatI’m excited men led to the building of the work underwayto go up,customers will be students have drawn him about is thatpeople are Galleria and some of the transform Post Oakinto drawn to them, then older all overthe world. going to look at this book all and offer something city’smostarchitecturally agrand boulevard, from buildingsbecome under- He’s visitedHouston and say, ‘Houston?How for everyone,hesaid. significantbuildings.His Richmond to the West performers thatget razed severaltimes since the did thatget into abook So there must be jobs, work pavedthe wayfor Loop,overthe next couple to makeroomfor more 1960s, and he stayed in about what makesagreat housing,streets, culture manymoretocome. of years. high-rise buildingswith what is nowUptown city?’”Garvin said. “It’s and leisure spaces that Hines brought in In addition to dedicated first-floor shopscatering Houston on his firstvisit. true,they’re in there with are well maintained. Yo u architect Philip John- bus lanes to takeshoppers to millennials. He took aphoto,then Paris and London and can’t justdeclare land son to design theshim- and workers throughthe “I’mreallyquite took more with each sub- Vienna and NewYorkand as apark—it must offer mering Pennzoil Place area so they don’thaveto delighted to seethis,” he sequentvisit. Chicago.” people thingsthey want downtown. Johnson later drive and parktheir cars, said. “Itnever would have Garvin maybeacity to do,and it must be taken designed Williams Tower, the area will getsidewalks occurred to me when I planner,but he’s better Greatplaces care of overtime,evolv- One Post OakCentral, widened up to 12 feet to first sawPostOak that described as an urban Theanswertothe title ingwiththe needs of the RothkoChapel, the Cha- allowbetter pedestrian it would, overahalf cen- anthropologist. Notonly of his book,hesays, is people along the way. pel of St.Basil at the Uni- traffic. tury, growintowhatIsee does he note what has that it takes manythings “Nothing in acityisan versity of St.Thomas and And the gleaming as oneofthe finestboule- changed in alocation, but —inboth public and accident. What happens the University of Houston ringsthatserve as street vards in the country.” he digsintolearn how private realms—tomake is theresult of what we architecture school thatis signs will be refurbished and why. agreatcity. choose to have there, named after Hines. and reinstalled. [email protected] “I can’t separate people Acitymustbeopen to whether it’s good or it’s Johnson’s work wasfol- “Wewanttocreate a twitter.com/dianecowen TRENDING Precious metal for the home Jon C rat a e& t h Wi an Barrel lliams- Adl e r So noma Crate &Barrel Neiman Marcus By Diane Cowen Lumino gilded coasters: fit nicelyintomostany room. thought this game wastoo chill wine —orevenserve food. 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