The plan to create more Walkable Places in Houston to develop a more #pedestrian friendly city will not be effective without a funding source.

The Walkable Places Committee created a list of development regulations to promote high-quality human-scaled public spaces. Bill Baldwin, chair of the Walkable Places Committee, said in the beginning that the committee would focus on a single street. He said that they plan to emphasize neighborhoods with larger geographic areas, such as Midtown. Baldwin’s aim of urban planning rules includes mandatory parking regulations and a minimum size for sidewalks. He has acknowledged that it won't be possible to treat all areas equally. It is pretty obvious that funding is one of the biggest reasons here.

Baldwin said the public wants an organized and walkable city. The committee modified the development code so that they could bring the desired effect through the private sectors’ investments, such as Midway's plan for CITYCENTRE, which "will blend office, retail and dining spaces with an urban plaza." The committee can only vote to recommend things when and if they have a funding source. At the moment, sidewalk repairs are the responsibility of the business owners and homeowners. Baldwin also said that people living adjacent to #urban environments would be better served by reducing parking regulations to have a better pedestrian realm.

People are often scared to walk in Houston due to speeding vehicles in some areas like Montrose. Baldwin claimed that speeding can be controlled if there’s something for the people to look at by the side of the road. He mentioned Vibrant, Roost, and Reil as examples of places with ideal walkable spaces. They plan to develop more places that have parking, open dining, and green transparency. He cited Snap Kitchen on Montrose Blvd. as an example of a place with bad walking facilities. They have a lot of work to do in these areas to develop pedestrian areas in the city. But the problem is, the execution of these ideas needs funding sources.

The recommendations of the Walkable Places Committee in Houston are a great concept for the development of the city, but they aren't feasible regarding the city’s overall economic situation. Without enough #funding sources, they can’t hope to bring about any effective changes.