Local planning firm Asakura Robinson has released a 250-page study on the past, present, and future — as they would like to see it — of the Washington Corridor. The study seems to stem from Better Block Houston, a kind of experiment the firm performed in a vacant lot near their mural-stained offices on Washington and Silver: The street was transformed into a pop-up plaza: Food trucks rolled in, bike repair stations set up, and local retailers spread out. The study imagines this kind of pedestrian life happening along the entire length of Washington, from Westcott to I-45 and between I-10 and Buffalo Bayou.
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Still, the study doesn’t suggest that all the street needs are a few kooky performers and food trucks. Attention is paid to the nuts and bolts of infrastructure as well: The firm calls for the creation of a Washington Corridor management entity, which could begin to oversee the management of storm water, maintenance of affordable housing, development of local businesses, and enhancement of public transportation, through rebuilt streets, dedicated bike lanes, and the introduction of high-frequency buses and a dedicated trolley-like circulator.
If you have a few hours, you can page through the study here. Or you can watch this compressed version:
- Washington Avenue Livable Centers Study [Asakura Robinson]
- Plan for Washington Ave. could prompt its own management district [Houston Business Journal]
- Previously on Swamplot: Introducing the Washington Ave Parking District
Images: Asakura Robinson