[Centropolis]

i don't think houston is really doing anything that hasn't been done. certainly it has the wealth to do a lot more than most american cities ever have - and i think it's failing the same way some of the great midwestern boom cities failed on their first shot before it (they also didn't have strong urban planning frameworks - st. louis was very, very laissez-faire and eschewed city-beautiful unlike most midwestern cities and embraced the free market. the city is still dotted with industrial everywhere. i also think of detroit.) that's not to say that i personally don't like houston, either, because i do. other than new orleans, it's the southern/sunbelt-city that i'm rooting for.