NYC averages a population of 1400 people per city block with mixed use development. Pictured above in Houston they fit 126 cars per city block sized parking lot.
Houston is the world’s worst example of urban sprawl. There are no zoning laws so anyone can build anything anywhere. It is magnificent. Its freeways are eighteen lanes wide. There are multiple intersections stacked five roads high into the sky. It takes 45 minutes to drive anywhere. Tanker trucks full of hazardous chemicals on the way from the refineries in Texas City are all over the roads. It takes an hour and a half to drive across the length of the urban area at highway speeds. I think if you’re going to do something, go all the way. Don’t just be a wasteland, be the Dark Land of Mordor.
Oh, Houston has public transport, of course. It’s actually not bad if you live outside the city and work downtown. You can catch a commuter bus and they get to use the HOV lanes. But the city street buses? The city is just so huge that it takes two hours to equal a 30 minute drive.
