Houston, we love you—as evidenced by all the gushing reasons we’ve enumerated in our “Reasons to Love Houston” package, showing that we’re still very much head over heels. But sometimes, you really know how to grind our gears. It’s when we become trapped on a gridlocked 610, or stroll on a sidewalk that suddenly disappears, or arrive at a blinking red light at a busy intersection that our fondness dissipates, leaving us to shake our fist at the sky and exclaim, “Why, Houston? Why?!”

Yes, we love you. But here are seven ways we’d like you to be better.

1. Plan walkable streets.

Listen, we hold absolutely no hope that Houston will one day magically transform into a dense metropolis out of some urbanist’s fever dream. But we think we can reasonably ask for sidewalks. That’s it. That’s the ask. Uninterrupted, unbroken sidewalks that make it easier and safer for us to get from place to place on foot, even if it’s just from our home to the grocery store or the bar. Laying that foundation would get us one step closer to building the pedestrian (and cycling, and transit…) infrastructure residents have been begging for.

2. Stop expanding highways.

Would someone please give the Texas Department of Transportation—and the mayor, while they’re at it—the definition of “induced demand”? It’s been proven over and over again that adding lanes to highways does not reduce traffic; it actually increases it. The ongoing expansion of I-45 will destroy 1,235 homes, 331 businesses, and five houses of worship, according to the nonprofit Stop TxDOT I-45. Our heart aches thinking about everything we will lose (RIP, Kim Son), and all the space we could reclaim for pursuits that would spark way more joy than massive slabs of concrete we’ll still end up getting stuck on.

3. Invest in flood prevention.

The Harris County Flood Control District has built many projects in the past decade. As part of Project Brays, the Eldridge and Willow Waterhole stormwater detention basins were completed in 2015 and 2018, respectively, holding a combined 2.1 billion gallons of water. But it’s not enough. Low-income neighborhoods are still clamoring for improvements to their streets’ inadequate drainage systems, which put them at high risk of flooding even if they’re nowhere near a bayou. We could finally build the “Ike Dike,” the 70-mile seawall along Galveston Island proposed in 2009. And we desperately need someone to do something about the rapidly intensifying insurance crisis. Sure, we’re sliding into the ocean regardless. But “just move,” as Northerners like to say, is neither an option for many nor a viable solution for all. More than 7 million people live here. Climate safety can’t be limited to those who can afford to lift their homes or relocate.

4. Build affordable housing.

Any kind of new housing adds to the supply and brings prices down overall, but creating truly affordable housing takes intentionality and public-private partnerships that actually deliver on what they promise. This was not the case for the Midtown Redevelopment Authority’s Third Ward project. A Houston Chronicle investigation found that the agency spent 15 years using affordable housing funds to buy lots in the historically Black neighborhood with the goal of slowing gentrification, but all they have to show for themselves so far is a $22 million half-vacant office building.

5. Preserve our landmarks.

While our penchant for reinvention is what makes Houston great, we’d love to see the city pay more respect to our dwindling number of landmarks. With no
zoning and little preservation protections, we’ve seen more than one wrecking ball plow into historic structures over the years, the sites often reborn as something soulless and unsightly. We’re all for density and modernity, but mass loss of history cannot stand. Bring on more success stories like the revamped River Oaks Theatre or even Axelrad Beer Garden, located in and around a preserved red-brick building that was formerly a grocery store. And for goodness’ sake, please do something—anything!—with the Astrodome.

6. Solve the traffic light glitches.

In a real city, traffic lights don’t stop working every time it rains. And sometimes when it doesn’t rain, too. There’s nothing more frustrating than approaching a major intersection and seeing that dreaded blinking red light, indicating that the signal has failed its way into becoming a four-way stop again. Good luck! Observing which cars adhere to the “taking turns” rule and which do not (looking at you, F-150 drivers) is like watching a fascinating anthropological experiment unfold before our very eyes. Pro tip: There’s strength in numbers, so buddy up with the vehicles at the front of the line with you. And if you’re too scared, just turn right.

7. Fix the damn pets.

We love pets. But we don’t love them when they impregnate other pets. Houston has an estimated 1 million stray animals, thanks in part to warm weather that allows them to reproduce year-round and a chronic lack of animal control funding. More resources are needed to address this crisis, which is just as dangerous for the cats and dogs roaming the streets as for the humans encountering them. Our proposal? Outlaw owning unfixed pets and make all spaying and neutering services free.