Houston - Downtown Tunnel System

[latennisguy]

^^ It is?

[Dan Denson]

Originally Posted by VivaLFuego

No, point being the only way to accomodate the heat/humidity is to not go out in it. In the cold, at least down to about 0F or 10F, one can just dress appropriately and be comfortable outside.

People complaining about the cold is one of my pet peeves, because it's laziness. Complaining about the heat? Well, no use complaining about something you can't control, I guess, but it's not like there's anything I can do in a Texas summer to not get drenched in sweat and dehydrated... other than simply never going outside.

Or better yet...just move somewhere else.

[Tumbleweed_Tx]

one of the main reasons for the tunnel system is this:


There's no bedrock in Houston for the buildings to rest on, so the developers had to dig some big holes to remove the equivalent of the new building's weight so the buildings and their super thick foundations would 'float' on the subsoils and the water table. Since there were these huge holes in the ground (the size of a city block, as much as 50' deep), someone came up with the idea of connecting them, and the Tunnel System was born.


Up until the most recent building boom, the only major building not on the Tunnel system were was Heritage Plaza.

[KevinFromTexas]

I honestly forget about the tunnels every time I'm in Downtown Houston. I've never visited them, and never think to when I'm in town. Maybe I'll do it next time I'm there. Being the postcard collector that I am, I'm sure there are some good places to find some there.

My take on the tunnels possibly kill street life is, so what. Look at this way, the whole point of having density and urban neighborhoods is for the sake of density and sustainable growth and convenience, right? There's undoubtedly density in downtown with residential, hotels, restaurants and offices. The tunnels only move those people off the street into a cooler environment, but it's essentially the same as street level retail above ground. People are still walking, not driving, and it's obviously lively. So I see little problems with it. The only thing I would be concerned about is if that model of built environment ever became less desirable and outdated. Indoor malls these days are on their last leg. Most of them in Austin are either empty or being torn down because of their vacancy rates. I do wonder if that could ever happen with the tunnels in Downtown Houston since they're essentially the same as an indoor mall. Anyway, personally for me, I'd rather be walking at street level enjoying the fresh air, but I suppose if I was doing that and it started to rain, that I might duck for cover in the tunnels.

And anyway, real Texans can take the heat.

[IMBY]

Minneapolis' skyways system is on a par with the Houston tunnels, which I traversed a few years ago.

They have condo buildings on the skyway system in Minneapolis. Live there, and it's snowing, below zero outside, you don't even need to put a coat on as you traverse the city in the depth of winter! They call Minneapolis the 2nd story city!

If I were going to open a sandwich shop in either city, it would be a dillemma:
Outside or inside? Which would be more profitable?

When I was there, it was like a ghost town on the streets, it was a very cold December day, and I can imagine what it's like in summer with their excruciating humidity, along with heat. So I can't fault them for wanting to be comfortable a good portion of the year!