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Publications / Texas Architect
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PROJECT Near Northside Inside Out Planning Study, Houston
CLIENT University of Houston
ARCHITECT William Truitt, AIA
DESIGN TEAM William Truitt, AIA; Evan Vargas; Sally Wood
The purpose of Near Northside Study conducted by William Truitt, AIA, of the University of Houston, is three-fold: to illuminate existing problems of large open-space neighborhoods that are often overlooked in inner-city studies; to highlight the potential for such neighborhoods to positively impact the larger urban area; and to propose new adjacencies that allow for growth in targeted areas over the next 30 years. The study focuses on poorly planned housing developments and unused parking lots that exist between Houston’s central business district and its outlying suburbs. The study reveals that parking lots in the Near Northside area proliferate and are typically under used–in fact, only 8-12 percent of lots are at capacity on a given day. Additionally, existing housing properties in the area are inefficiently organized and span over unnecessary amounts of space. Truitt has surmised several solutions to improve existing properties for developers and city planners to take into consideration. Transforming existing housing units into more compact multi-family living spaces will cut down on unnecessary sprawl, and focusing future retail development on existing open spaces like parking lots can reinvigorate dying sections of these neighborhoods. These solutions, among others, have the potential to revitalize problematic neighborhoods and promote positive future growth for the city.
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