Ignoring Houston's Natural Beauty?
Star Expert:
Gary Clark is Professor of Management and Marketing and an interim dean at Lone Star College-North Harris. He began his career as a copywriter and market researcher at a New York ad agency. In the Houston region he is best known as a naturalist; his column “Wonders of Nature” is a popular feature in The Houston Chronicle.
What does the Greater Houston area need to do to grow and thrive?
The area of course, needs to be business – friendly; people won't come or stay here without jobs. And we need education. Our community colleges and universities are major factors to the success of Houston. But anyone who thinks that all we have to do is build business and education needs to think again. Such things as natural beauty provide the quality of life essential to attracting and keeping people to our area. Cities like Chicago and San Francisco have proven that economic development can coexist with the conservation of trees, green space, and nature parks.
How do we manage growth?
We have not been good at it. We seem to believe that growth is about plowing down all the trees and building houses, shopping centers, and roadways. Then, we complain about crowding and traffic congestion. We need to gin up for being an attractive big city.
In the next 40 years, population in the Houston area may exceed 10 million. We need to plan the environment Houstonians will live in. Not just an environment for work and education, but an environment for the fundamental human need to connect with nature. Open spaces with wildlife and greenery replenish our spirits. Studies of urban planning such as the Greenspace Project in Europe show that if you don't accommodate the native natural landscape with open spaces and wildlife parks, you have an amplification of stress, anxiety, and crime among citizens.
Personally, I believe that if people were more in tune with nature, they'd see that they are part of something larger than themselves. It's a perspective that helps keep people humble, true to themselves, and true to their neighbors.
How can Houston show an interest in nature?
Bay City, Texas is a prime example of showing such interest. When you drive in, you see a big sign that says, “We love our parks.” Bay City recently turned a piece of river front property into a bird watching center and arboretum that will likely become world famous. The citizens are proud of their natural heritage, and they prize it and market it as an advantage to living and doing business in their town. Likewise, we in Houston need to articulate a commitment to green space and demonstrate pride in our unique natural heritage. It's important to our growth, and important to our citizens.
People are hungry for nature. For instance, birdwatching is skyrocketing as a recreational activity. Its growth is second only to the growth in gardening according a survey in 2001 by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Increasing numbers of people are seeking opportunities to enjoy the natural world.
Also, people want to live in places with beautiful natural scenery. I think Houston has beautiful natural scenery, but Houston's leaders haven't done a good job of promoting it or even cherishing it. As a result, Houston residents don't have the same pride in their city that residents of San Francisco or Chicago have. Great cities---and I believe Houston can be a great city---market their economy, education, culture, and natural scenery. Houston's tradition has been to market only its economy.
In Houston, we have an incredible number of parks and wildlife corridors that we should actively market. Within 50 miles in any direction of downtown Houston are gorgeous state parks and sweeping wildlife refuges. It's a treasure many cities would envy. If we conserve, protect, and market our natural heritage, people will have pride in living here equal to the pride of living in San Francisco or Chicago.
To find out more about Lone Star College-North Harris, and its marketing and business programs visit northharris.lonestar.edu