[Magdalen] Houston

[Scott Knitter]

Seems that way (I'll be interested in Lynn's answer): I've driven down a
winding major street that passes mainly apartment complexes and then a
subdivision of small homes, and suddenly there will be a car wash in the
middle of all this. Too many strip malls, in general. Some very lovely
areas as well. There's a definite downtown and a general pattern to the
city (concentric circles are part of it) but wow, is it huge. The ride from
Hobby Airport up to our abbey (in Lynn's general vicinity) is a long one
even at high speeds on I-45. Chicago is something like 22 miles top to
bottom; Houston must be 35-40? And you're still in the city.

And it isn't ALL concrete...every single-family home has a lawn or garden
at least, but I guess there really need to be larger undeveloped areas
where water can be absorbed rather than accumulate. Over to you, science!

On Wed, Aug 30, 2017 at 4:01 PM, Jay Weigel <jay.weigel at gmail.com> wrote:

> Lynn, is it still true that Houston has no zoning? I know that used to be
> the case.
>
> On Wed, Aug 30, 2017 at 2:06 PM, Lynn Ronkainen <houstonklr at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > ...I call the "efforts" to accommodate too much concrete (new outer loops
> > and tollways, 100s of new subdivisions , to name a few) by the USArmy
> corps
> > of Engineers
> > : "TX mathmagic".
> > They forecast scenarios, calculate "additional run-off" added to the
> > existing "area" loosely defined, then come up with formulas for widening
> > already existing rivers, creeks and bayous (words often used
> > interchangeably), and/or digging huge sloped sided grass-planted basins,
> > also based on mathemagical calculations, that "confirm" safe retention of
> > water in case of flooding (??!!?) for new communities, which are then
> often
> > dug larger and deeper so they can become a "water feature" of the new
> > community, which still conforms to the formula because they've dug it
> > larger to accommodate the water they're adding for decorative purposes.
> >
> > No one knows or wants to say ENOUGH, NO MORE, so the city and the area E,
> > W, and N keep building and expanding.
> > When I moved in 1987 the middle class subdivisions in the unincorporated
> > areas 20+ miles from the city were very transient- corporate employers
> > transferring people in and out, sometimes in just a few years. People had
> > no sense of potential tragedy in the form of nature events if they didn't
> > actually experience them. The '90s saw more new residents who moved in
> for
> > long term OR like us, transferries laid off and unable to move without a
> > job at the other end in a new location.
> >
> > Such is life. I have been thinking for a while about moving away from TX
> > but it is complicated.
> >
> > Have confirmed Sunday tickets home (for now at least), have figured out
> > the rest of our itinerary- blessed to be seeing even more family and old
> > friends than our original scenario included. My house/condo is still
> dry. I
> > am blessed.
> > Lynn
> >
> >
> > On Aug 30, 2017, at 9:40 AM, ME Michaud <michaudme at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > One of our local meteorologists (that is, he's a college instructor, not
> > someone on teevee) commented on the amount of Houston that's been paved
> > over because of rapid overdevelopment.
> > (Lynn's part of town has more undeveloped land than downtown.)
> >
> > He wrote:
> > Dump a glass of water on a granite counter.
> > Dump a glass of water on a sponge.
> > Note the difference.
> > -M
> >
> > On Wednesday, August 30, 2017, Roger Stokes <
> roger.stokes65 at btinternet.com
> > >
> > wrote:
> >
> > > The problem is the sheer volume of water that has to be dispersed. I
> read
> > > that there has been something like 6 cubic miles of water dumped on
> > Houston
> > >
> >
>



-- 
Scott R. Knitter
Edgewater, Chicago, Illinois USA