Sunday Streets HTX, 2014 Spring. Map by Asakura Robinson.
Yesterday, Mayor Annise Parker announced that on the first Sundays of April, May, and June a street will be closed to motorized vehicles from 11 am - 3 pm and opened to pedestrians and bicyclists. A petition I launched --- inspired by an article on this very blog --- created much of the momentum for this effort, which is documented here.
After working with dedicated public servants at the city for the past year, I was able to present the petition to Mayor Parker herself after the announcement. Most of the leaders who spoke at the press conference announcing Sunday Streets HTX stressed health benefits. I was pleased that Mayor Parker also talked about Sunday Streets as a way to help people know the city in a more intimate way.
When Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and when Hurricane Ike hit here, the open-hearted and neighborly spirit of Houston came through. Between disasters, however, the fast pace of commerce seems to dominate our city. I'm very excited about the possibility of intimacy that Mayor Parker spoke of.
Here's what you can do to help make Sunday Streets a success:
Mayor Parker receives petition from Raj Mankad. Photo by Allyn West.
1) Show up. Please mark the following dates and routes on your calendar:
April 6: White Oak and Heights to Quitman and Fulton
May 4: Westheimer from Hazard to Yoakum
June 1: Washington and Studemont to Market Square
2) Spread the word. Invite your friends. Hand out the official flier and map. Like the new Facebook page and tweet @SundayStreetHTX.
3) Email me if you are interested in volunteering, organizing something, or would just like to stay in touch. My email is mankad at rice dot edu.
Finally, I hope you'll join me in thanking Mayor Parker; Laura Spanjian, Director of the Office of Sustainability for the City of Houston; Carra Moroni, Senior Health Planner at the Health Department; and Susan Christian, Executive Director of the Mayor's Office for Special Events. After the petition took off, these public servants and many others at the city patiently worked out details with the police, METRO, business owners, and non-profits.
