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So, last time I talked about all the great things about 鈥渨alkability鈥� when it comes to the quality of urban life. As part of my recent travels I was in Houston for six days visiting my daughter’s family, and it provided quite a dramatic contrast. It’s by far the least walkable city I’ve ever been in.

As most planners are aware, Houston achieved some notoriety by being the only major city without zoning. So you might think that would be the most notable planning feature. But from my observation, the lack of zoning does not seem to have caused any major land use compatibility issues. But it may have played a role in the incredible lack of attention to the walking environment.

Even in the better neighborhoods, sidewalks are clearly an afterthought. Most blocks have some form of narrow sidewalk, although many are in such bad repair that they are unwalkable (especially with a baby stroller), or are interrupted by stretches of dirt and/or mud. But at least there you can always walk in the street. The design of public spaces along major streets is even worse, with signs, telephone poles and other obstacles when there is an actual sidewalk.

So, of course even in the good weather months few people walk, even in downtown. The exception is underground. There, almost every block has been developed to include a tunnel system that links most of the high-rise buildings together. There are literally dozens of miles of tunnels, and that is where people circulate from one building to another, eat lunch, have coffee, and do some shopping 鈥� what little there is in downtown. However, tunnels eventually close, on different schedules because they are private property.

More on Houston in the next post.