Houstons mayoral candidates participated in NOZONE: Houstons Mayoral Forum on Land Use on July 9, 2009, 7-9pm, at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, TX. The evening was moderated by conceptual artist and professor Mary Ellen Carroll, who also conceived and organized the event in conjunction with the museums exhibition No Zoning: Artists Engage Houston.
The mayoral candidates—Peter Brown, Roy Morales, Annise Parker, Gene Locke, and TJ Huntley—responded (in the order above) to five questions pertaining to land use in the following areas: Legislation and Policy; Education; Transportation; Quality of Life; and Growth. Following the responses, a panel of respondents provided comments and raised further questions for the candidates.
Second Question: Transportation
Two-part question proposed by the Citizens Transportation Coalition
Respondent: Robin Holzer, Chair, Citizens Transportation Coalition
Q2: The land area of the fourth largest city in the United States (594.13 square miles) is greater than some states. Mobility is multi-modal. Transportation and land use are increasingly acknowledged as major factors affecting neighborhood quality of life. Roadways are used by cars, buses, and bicycles; sidewalks can provide access to pedestrians, wheelchairs, scooters, and transit users. Within the City, transportation-related planning functions are divided between the departments of Planning & Development and Public Works & Engineering. First, would you support a policy to make sure every transportation infrastructure project within the City preserves or enhances the full spectrum of mobility uses, and how would you encourage developers in their proposed projects to provide easy access to these systems? Secondly, should the City have a single department with responsibility for transportation planning? Please provide a YES or NO response and explain your decision.
All candidates agreed on the importance of improving mobility in Houston. Only Locke and Huntley voted yes to the creation of a single department responsible for transportation, i.e. Department of Transportation.
Respondent Holzer responded to the candidates.
About No Zoning: Artists Engage Houston:
Free from the land-use and zoning ordinances that shape other large American cities by separating residential, commercial, and industrial areas, Houston allows a mixed-use approach where disparate architectures and functions blend. In this often chaotic, jarring urban topography, many Houston artists have been able to carve out spaces and opportunities for themselves, their work, and their communities. No Zoning: Artists Engage Houston is the first museum exhibition to consider the current and past efforts of regional artists working in the urban environment, and includes work by 21 artists. The exhibition was organized by CAMHs Senior Curator Toby Kamps and Curatorial Associate Meredith Goldsmith and is on view May 9 October 4, 2009. The Mayoral Forum was held at Carrolls prototype180:table, which was designed specifically for negotiation and for staging these types of public forums and presentations.
Video credits-
Video work: Andriano Balajadia
Special thanks to: Mary Ellen Carroll, Peter Brown, TJ Huntley, Gene Locke, Roy Morales, Annise Parker, Jordan Fruge, Robin Holzer, Jenny Hyun, Hugh Rice Kelly, Janet Kohlhase, Asmara Tekle-Johnson, Reid Wilson, Innovation Territories, Houston. Its Worth It., and The Rice University Building Institute.
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7. Question 3: Educationby theCAMH143 views
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