At our most recent Winlow Place Civic Club meeting, we were treated to a discussion lead by David Crossley of Houston Tomorrow. Mr. Crossley talked about Houston’s increasing size and density, and what that might mean for residents’ quality of life.

With a majority of the job growth and new residents in just a few key areas, Houston’s new boom is creating challenges and opportunities for providing a more sustainable, urban, transit-oriented future. For example, the increasing density of certain parts of Houston creates a great opportunity for workable transit. Mr. Crossley discussed the potential for Bus Rapid Transit ("BRT") to be a cheaper and quicker alternative to light rail as a way to address our near future needs. At the same time, political influence at the city and county level doesn't necessarily coincide with the places that are experiencing the most growth, which could potentially lead to a misallocation of resources.

After Mr. Crossley"s presentation, Winlow Place Civic Club members asked a variety of insightful questions about how future developments might affect Montrose in general and Winlow Place in particular. It was a lively and interesting discussion!

– by Ben Garry