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Greenspoint BriefingBook
Greenspoint BriefingBook
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Collaborative Community Design Initiative, No. 2 Community Design Resource Center 2011
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Contact: Susan Rogers, Director Community Design Resource Center Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture University of Houston 122 Architecture Bldg. Houston, TX 77204-4000 713.743.2403 skrogers@mail.uh.edu
Contents
Introduction History
Historical Maps and Timeline Greenspoint Mall Timeline
5 6
Context
Aerial Land Use Parks and Transit Flood Zones Amenities
10
Demographics
Population and Ethnicity Education and Income Housing
22
Opportunities
Greenspoint Mall Highway Underpasses Parks and Trails Multi-Family
28
39
Introduction
The Greater Greenspoint Super Neighborhood is located in north Houston, bounded by the Hardy Toll Road on the east, and bisected by the North Freeway (I-45) and the North Sam Houston Tollway (Beltway 8). Fundamentally, the neighborhood is divided in quadrants by the North Freeway and the Beltway, which simultaneously connects the area to the city and divides the areas neighborhoods. The Greenspoint area was primarily developed between the 1970s and the 1980s. Most notably, Greenspoint Mall, completed in 1976, sparked economic growth and the development of hotel, business and ofce centers in and around the area. Greenspoint, in its heyday, became the home to young professionals who worked in the areas ofce complexes. Since the 1980s, Greenspoint has experienced gradual disinvestment and a virtual halt to economic development. Greenspoint Mall, once the largest enclosed mall in Houston, is now the fourth largest, and has lost most of its national franchises. The demographics of the area have also changed over the last three decades, and Greenspoint has gone from a community comprised of mainly single professionals to an area that is home to many young families.
1953 Aerial
1978 Aerial
1989 Aerial
1976
1969
Greenspoint Mall opens
1991
1989
Exxon Mobil moves to Greenspoint The Greenspoint District is created
1993
1994
11 acres of land are acquired for future park space along Greens Rd
History
The Greenspoint area developed primarily in the 1970s soon after Houston Intercontinental Airport was completed in 1969. Many of the multi-family developments in the area were built in the1970s. In 1976, Greenspoint Mall opened and became the largest and one of the most popular shopping malls in the city. The mall sparked additional investment in the area. In 1989, Exxon Mobil moved its headquarters to the Greenspoint Business District sparking even more investment and job growth in the area. Greenspoint became an attractive area for young professionals looking for job opportunities, housing and entertainment. In 1987 the price of oil collapsed and the Houston economy slumped. The Greenspoint area was hit hard. Many of the apartment complexes had high vacancy rates and crime increased, as it did throughout the city. In 1991, the Greenspoint area was incorporated into the City of Houston and the Greenspoint Management District was created. Crime reduction was one of the main priorities for the Management District, which in 1994 opened a Public Safety Center at Greenspoint Mall. Following a tough decade, the Greenspoint areas residents and property owners were encouraged when in 1998 the Archon Group acquired over 5,000 apartment units in the area for renovation and upgrading, with plans to secure additional units. The goal was to again make the area popular for young professionals. While many apartments were renovated, overall the project was not successful, and in 2010 three of the complexes once held by Archon were foreclosed and purchased by Kaplan Management. The goal for Kaplan is to increase civic programs in the complexes, such as a clinic, tutoring, vocational training, a police storefront and other services. The Greenspoint Management District and the TIRZ are enhancing the overall attractiveness of the district, building parks and open spaces, and working to enhance economic opportunity. But there remain signicant challenges for area families, including poverty, access to healthy food, and transportation.
1998
2002
A TIRZ is established
2010
2008 2009
Greenspoint is named one of the top ve locations for Logistics Companies Exxon Mobil announces move from Greenspoint to a new north Houston campus The Management District announces the creation of a new skate park near Rankin Road Thomas R. Wussow Park and the renovated City View apartments open
Archon acquires more that 5,000 apartments units and begins redevelpment
Woodlands Mall
20
m. 20
m. m. 10
m. 10
15
m. 15
m. 5m .
Deerbrook Mall
. 5m
Galleria Mall ABOVE: Map of Greater Houston Area Malls BELOW: Greenspoint Mall Timeline
1978-80 The mall is expanded with a Central Park theme. The expansion included four new anchors, Lord & Taylor, Montgomery Ward, Joskes and JCPenney 1988 Prudential Property Co. planned a $7 million renovation Greenspoint Mall is the largest enclosed mall in Houston
1976
1989
With 94% occupancy, Greenspoint Mall has the highest occupancy rate in Houston 1994 Woodlands Mall opens
History
Greenspoint Mall
Greenspoint Mall opened in 1976. Until the late 1990s the Mall was the largest in the Houston region, today it is the fourth, behind the Galleria, Memorial City Mall, and Willowbrook Mall. The mall was initially anchored by Sears and Foleys, but in the late 70s the mall was expanded and four additional anchor stores were added, Lord & Taylor, JCPenney, Joskes and Montgomery Ward. In 1989, the mall had the highest occupancy rate in the city at 94%. As Houstons economy slumped in the late 80s, the Greenspoint area began to see some disinvestment, the effects of which were also felt in the mall. Lord & Taylor closed and was replaced by Mervyns in 1989, JCPenney and Mervyns shuttered their doors in 1998, Montgomery Ward followed in 2001, and in 2010 Sears closed. In 2006 the mall was put up for sale. In 2011, Premiere Theaters opened a new cinema in the previous location of JCPenney and a $32 million dollar renovation project has been proposed to transform the Mall into what some would call a Lifestyle Center.
2000 Greenspoint Mall is the fourth largest enclosed mall in the Houston area
1998
JCPenny closes its doors. Mervyns is replaced by Fitness Connection
2001
Montgomery Ward closes its doors.
2010
Future Plan for Greenspoint Mall Sears closes its doors JCPenny is demolished for a movie theater to be built in its place
Context
The Greater Greenspoint Super Neighborhood is located in north Houston and covers an area of roughly seven square miles. The neighborhood is bounded on the east by the Hardy Toll Road, and divided into quadrants by the North Freeway (I-45), which runs north and south, and the North Sam Houston Tollway (Beltway 8), which runs east and west. Greens Bayou winds through the northern quadrants of the community. The major thoroughfares in the area are Greens Road and Airline Drive. Greenspoint is approximately seven miles from Bush Intercontinental Airport, and is twenty minutes from Downtown Houston. Greenspoint Mall (with 1.5 million square feet) and the Greater Greenspoint Business District (where 78,000 work) are anchors in the community. The Greenspoint area is in many ways a tale of two cities: one city that caters to those who work in the areas ofce buildings; and one city for those who call the area home. Finding ways to bridge across the different users of the area is important for its future.
Greens Rd.
Hard y Toll
Greens Bayou
Beltway 8
Road
I-45
Airli ne D r.
11
Context
The Greater Greenspoint Super Neighborhood is divided into distinct land uses that operate independently, acting almost like islands separated from other uses. Multi-family housing makes up over 85% of all housing units in the area and is concentrated in the northern sections of the community. Single-family detached housing makes up only 15% of all housing units and is concentrated in the southeast portion of the neighborhood. Ofce and commercial space in the area totals over 18 million square feet. Ofce development is concentrated just east of the Mall and in the northwest quadrant of the community, west of I-45. The land use patterns are clearly illustrated in the gure ground map to the left.
ABOVE: Diagram of Land Use Islands BELOW: Greesnpoint Photos
Multi-Family
Mall
Light Industrial
Single-Family
13
Major investment in the Greenspoint area began in the early 1970s. In 1976, Greenspoint Mall opened and beginning in the late 1970s and early 1980s ofce buildings, hotels, and additional retail space begin to be developed adjacent to the mall. The largest of these developments was Greenspoint Plaza, originally developed by the Friendswood Development Company, and includes six ofce buildings with two prime development sites for future buildings. Exxon Mobil is one of the major employers in Greenspoint. The company opened ofces there in the late 1980s. Currently Exxon occupies over 2 million square feet, approximately 16% of all ofce space in the area. Recently the company has announced a move further north to a new campus in Spring. The Management District is sure that this space will be lled in the future.
Commercial and IndustrialLand Use Map Commercial Industrial (Maps and Graphics by Greenspoint Student Team)
Context
Greenspoint has one of the largest concentrations of multi-family housing in Houston. Most of the housing was developed between the mid-1970s through to the mid1980s. The median year housing was constructed in the Greenspoint area is 1977. Most of the multifamily housing is concentrated along Greens Road in the northern quadrant of the community. Of the 13,559 total housing units in the Super Neighborhood nearly 11,000 of these are multi-family. Furthermore, multi-family complexes with 10 or more units make up 65% of all housing in the area. Single-family housing is concentrated in the southeast portion of the neighborhood. This area holds nearly all of the 2,000 single-family units.
Housing Land Use Map Single-Family Multi-Family Institutional
There are three parks in the Greater Greenspoint Super Neighborhood, these include Buckboard Park, City View Park and Thomas R. Wussow Park. There are also four parks that are currently being completed, Bradeld Park, Greens Crossing Park, Ida Gaye Gardens, and a new Skate Park. In total Greenspoint will have 48 acres of parks once those currently under construction are complete. According to City of Houstons guidelines for parks this falls far short of the recommended park space.
Thomas R. Wussow Park (Existing) Skate Park (Proposed) Ida Gaye Gardens (Under Construction) City View Park (Existing) Greens Crossing Park (Proposed)
Parks Map
The City of Houston recommends 11 acres of park for every 1,000 residents. Greenspoint falls short of this recommendation by 380 acres.
Context
Over 24% of Greenspoint households do not have access to a vehicle, as compared to 10% in Houston overall. The area is served by three Metro bus routes: the 56 Airline; the 86 FM 1960 Crosstown; and the 102 Airport. These routes have very high ridership. The 56 Airline ranks eighth among Metro bus routes for weekday boardings, fourth for Saturday boardings, and rst for Sundays. The transit lines connect the area to the airport, Downtown Houston, Airline ea markets, and other destinations. The edge of Greenspoint Mall along Greenspoint Drive serves informally as a transit center, with all three routes stopping adjacent to the mall. In addition to bus service, it has been proposed that the Northside Light Rail line be extended north to serve Bush Intercontinental Airport. The route would come north along Airline, jog over to Greenspoint Drive, and then travel east along Greens Road to reach the airport. This extension remains a future possibility.
86
102
Beltway 8
56 56
Prop
65
17
F Flood Zone Map: 100 yr. Flood Zone 500 yr. Flood Zone 0
Context
The Greater Greenspoint Super Neighborhood is in the Greens Bayou watershed. The bayou ows east and west along the northern portion of the neighborhood and is prone to ooding. As a result, much of the area sits within either the 100-year or 500-year ood zone. 41% of all housing is in the 100-year ood zone, while 16% is in a 500year zone. 72% of all multi-family housing is in a ood zone, as much of it was developed along the banks of the bayou. As a result, many of the structures have been ooded on numerous occasions, creating an ongoing risk for tenants.
16%
41%
72%
RIGHT: Diagram of Housing in Flood Zones OPPOSITE PAGE, Left: Flood Zone Map (Diagrams by Greenspoint Student Team)
14%
Multi-Family Housing
Single-Family Housing
19
CHARTER
ED
ADULT
ED ED
ADULT
ADULT
M E E E M
HS
Location of Schools in Greenspoint K Pre-School E Elementary M Middle School HS High School ED Adult Education
PRE
ADULT
Context
The Greater Greenspoint Super Neighborhood is in Aldine ISD. There are three elementary schools, one public charter elementary, two middle schools, one ninth grade campus, and one high school in the area. All of the public schools are south of Beltway 8 making it difcult for young people to walk to school. Remington College has a campus off of Greens Road on the east side of I-45. There are also a number of other adult education facilities in the area. The northeastern section of the neighborhood has bew basic amenities. There are no full-service grocery stores in this area, only small mini-marts and convenience stores, and this area is the most densely populated sector of the neighborhood.
Food Options in Greenspoint Grocery Stores Mini Marts and Convenience Stores (Maps by Greenspoint Student Team)
21
1990 Total Population Race/Ethnicity White Black/African-American A A si a n Hispanic Other/Two or more races / Age Under 18 Years Over 65 Years Place of Birth Foreign Born Residents Means of Transportation to Work Drove Alone Carpooled Public Transportation Other (Walk, Bicycle, Work at Home, etc.) Educational Attainment 25 Years+ No High School Diploma High School Diploma/Some College Associates Degree Bachelors Degree Graduate Degree
*Note: 1990 Data is for population 18 Years+
2009 38,925
1990 1,630,672
2009 2,191,400
26,241
9% 31% 3% 57% 1%
5% 25% 1% 68% 0%
9% 0%
34% 2%
36% 3%
27% 8%
27% 8%
27% 9%
17%
36%
37%
31%
26%
28%
66% 20% 7% 7%
61% 25% 8% 6%
64% 22% 7% 7%
72% 15% 6% 6%
72% 16% 6% 5%
74% 14% 5% 7%
36% 53% 4% 6% 1%
46% 44% 4% 2% 0%
44% 47% 3% 4% 2%
Median Household Income Percent of Houston's Median Percent of Population Below Poverty Housing Units Tenure Percent Owners Percent Renters Vacant Housing Units Households without access to a vehicle Persons per Household
26,261
36,616
42,797
21% 726,402
19% 782,378
21% 924,224
Demographics
The Greater Greenspoint Super Neighborhood is just over 7 square miles and is home to approximately 39,000 people. The population density of the area is approximately 5,500 people per square mile, 50% higher than the average population density in the city of Houston, though much of the land area is vacant. The Greater Greenspoint Super Neighborhood is majority Hispanic (68%). 5% of the population is White, 25% Black/African-American, and 1% Asian. 37% of the population was born outside of the U.S. compared to 28% in Houston. Over the last twenty years the population in Greenspoint has increased by 48%, where Houston has grown by 34%. Since 1990, an additional 12,500 people call Greenspoint home even though only 1,720 new housing units have been constructed. This fact illustrates the increasing density of Greenspoint as families have replaced singles in the many apartment complexes. In fact, in Greenspoint 36% of the population is under 18 years of age as compared to 27% in Houston. In 1990 only 9% of the population of Greenspoint was under 18.
Houston Greenspoint 28% 37% Percent of Residents Born Outside the U.S., Houston and Greenspoint
Source: 2009 American Community Survey
100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 2,191,400 38,925 20% 10% Other / Two or more races 0 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Black / African-American
White
Asian
23
Total Population
Hispanic
U.S.
Texas
In 2009 educational attainment for the population over 25 years of age was much lower in the Greater Greenspoint Super Neighborhood than in the city overall. 44% of this population does not have a high school diploma and only 6% hold a bachelors degree or higher. In Houston 26% of the population does not have a high school diploma, and 28% has a bachelors or graduate degree.
Occupation Status Comparisonc Graphs Blue Colar White Colar Percentage of Population TwentyFive Years of Age and Above Who Have Received at Least a Bachelors Degree
Houston
Greenspoint
Demographics
The 2009 median household income in Greenspoint was far below the city median of $42,797, at $29,224. Not surprisingly the number of households living below the poverty level is also very high at 34%, compared to Houston with 21% of households below poverty. In addition, 24% of households in Greenspoint do not have access to a vehicle.
$60,000
$50,000
$40,000
$30,000
$20,000
$10,000
Houston Greenspoint
21% 34%
10%
40%
20%
Greenspoint 36%
30%
25%
Houston 27%
20%
30%
10%
35%
0 1990 2000 2009
40%
25
Greenspoint
Houston
Texas
U.S.
Average Hourly Wage by Census Tract, 2009 $10/Hour $12/Hour $14/Hour $16/Hour $18-20/Hour
Source: 2009 American Community Survey
Demographics
$19.48 /hr. Average Houston Wage $13.24 /hr. Average Greenspoint Wage
The Greenspoint Super Neighborhood has nearly 11,000 apartments, one of the largest concentrations of apartments in the City of Houston. As a result, 84% of all residents in Greenspoint rent, while 16% own their homes. The average hourly wage in Greenspoint is $13.24, nearly $4 less than the wage necessary to afford rent on a two-bedroom unit at the average Houston fair market rent.
Family Households and Tenure, 2009 Houston and Greenspoint (Charts and Maps by Greenspoint Student Team)
Source: 2009 American Community Siurvey
$17.15 /hr. Wage necessary to afford rent on a two-bedroom apartment at fair market rent in Houston
Source: National Low Income Housing Coalition
Houston
Greenspoint
27
Map of Opportunities
Opportunities
The Greater Greenspoint Super Neighborhood is a successful ofce center, but the neighborhoods residents are not having the same success. 34% of households in Greenspoint live on incomes below poverty level, and many are children. The nearly 11,000 apartment units are in need of maintenance and many face an ongoing risk of ooding. The complexes have become islands, each separated from the larger community. We have identied four opportunities for improvement in the Greenspoint area: Greenspoint Mall; the highway underpasses; the system of parks and trails; and revitalization of multifamily housing. The opportunities could work to support the diverse user groups in the area while also pointing to potential strategies for weaving the different land uses and amenities together.
29
Opportunities
Greenspoint Mall
Greenspoint Mall, completed in 1976, was once the largest and one of the most prestigious malls in Houston. Today the mall has fallen on hard times. Anchor stores have closed and national franchises have been replaced by smaller, and in some cases, local franchises. Recently, a new cinema, the Premiere Theater, opened on the site of the former JCPenney. The mall site is bounded by I-45 on the west and Beltway 8 on the south, and is directly across the street from the Greenspoint Business District that draws 78,000 ofce workers each day, with average incomes far above the Houston median. In contrast, the residents of the area are struggling economically. According to the Greenspoint Management District, there are 85,000 people within a three mile radius, and nearly 200,000 within a ve mile radius. The mall is a primary opportunity site within the neighborhood. The 100 acre site could be strategically re-considered both as a structure to add-on to or as a site for intervention. New programs for the mall could build on the existing conditions. For example, the eastern edge of the site along Greenspoint Drive currently serves as an informal transit center, a re-designed transit center could better integrate with the mall to allow transit riders a place to get a cup of coffee or a bite to eat. The area could also cater to air travelers providing auto service, pet boarding, dry cleaning, or other services. Housing, open space, and educational facilities are other opportunities for programmatic intervention on the site. Finding ways to simultaneously meet the needs of residents and area ofce workers could result in new success for the mall.
Diagram illustrating the scale of the Greenspoint Mall site, 54 Downtown Houston Blocks t within the 100 acres
31
?
Markets, public art, public spaces, and other programs are just some of the possibilities for the underpasses
BELOW, Left to Right: Freeway Interchanges in Greenspoint, Photos by Greenspoint Student Team
Opportunities
Highway Underpasses
The Greenspoint Super Neighborhood is divided into quadrants, north to south with I-45 and east to west with Beltway 8. Re-connecting the quadrants of the neighborhood by developing a strategy to enhance the attractiveness and connectivity of underpasses throughout the area is an opportunity. The Greenspoint Management District has been actively pursuing ideas to transform the underpasses, and have completed a project focused on painting the columns in shades of blue and green under I-45 and the Beltway. Other strategies might include public art, lighting, programmatic interventions, a transit center, or public space.
Diagram of Intersections
33
The Greenspoint Management Districts plan for parks and trails in the area includes three new parks, a large basin that will serve as ood retention, and continuous trails along the banks of Greens Bayou with additional connecting trails to the proposed parks.
Opportunities
Parks and Trails
The proposed system of parks and trails in the Greenspoint area is an opportunity to provide greater connectivity across the area but also to provide programming that serves the residents and weekday ofce workers.
35
Opportunities
Mutli-Family
Greenspoint has been designated a Multi-Family Revitalization Zone by the City of Houston. The program focuses on distressed multi-family housing, particularly housing in the ood plain. The program provides resources for demolition, green space, and reconstruction. Greenspoint has nearly 11,000 units of multi-family housing, much of it concentrated in the ood plain. Developing strategies for selective editing of multi-family complexes in Greenspoint, and re-purposing these areas as detention and open spaces, could be benecal. In addition, strategies to add supportive programming to the complexes could be explored. For example, after-school programs, health services, job training, day care, business incubators, or other programs.
Gaye Gardens
Wussow Park
Vacant
Impe
rial V alley
Beltway 8
Marcella M.S.
BELOW, Left: Diagram of Multi-Family Housing and Flood Zones RIGHT: Housing Opportunity Map
Black E.S.
Drainage Ditch
Buckboard Park
Thompson E.S.
37
Community Stakeholders
Bart Baker
Sponsors
The Collaborative Community Design Initiative is supported in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, and with nancial and in-kind support from the Greater Houston Local Initiatives Support Corporation, the Community Design Resource Center, the Gerald. D. Hines College of Architecture, and the generous commitment of time from stakeholders and professionals across Houston. We would like to thank all of our partners and supporters.