...In Focus: No Zoning in Houston? To begin to evaluate the effect of zoning codes, it is important to keep some of the characteristics of Houston in the back of your mind: the city has a growing economy, booming population, and urban sprawl, but it also filled with air pollution, traffic congestion, and a somewhat ineffective method of public transportation. It is unlike many other cities for a variety of reasons, but in regards to urban politics, its biggest difference is a lack of a zoning code. Zoning codes are typically used to keep developments at a low-density, but even without them, Houston has a sprawling, low-density urban structure. Zoning is also used to protect property values, but some of the most expensive homes in downtown Houston are very near to commercial developments. If there are no zoning codes, what promotes such success similarity to other large, zoned cities? After reading the research on this topic, most views on which come through local media sources, it is apparent that the effects of zoning are a very contested issue. Many individuals argue that the lack of zoning gives Houstonians a necessary right to private property usage, while others would like more regulation in city development. Additionally, voting against zoning laws allows the opportunity to test alternatives to zoning laws. The city has tried to pass zoning laws in 1948, 1962, and 1993, but each time, they have failed to get close to a majority of the citizens’ votes, even in small straw...
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...Houston is the largest city in the state of Texas and the fourth-largest in the United States. As of 2006, the city had a population of 2.14 million and anchors a metropolitan area of 5.5 1 million people. Houston is the economic and cultural center of the western Gulf Coast Region and southeastern Texas. Over the past several decades the city has rapidly added population and developed in a low density autocentric form. Houston is well known for being the largest city in the nation with no zoning. This laissez-faire government structure allowing for the market to dictate urban form is one of the reasons why Houston has remained an affordable and viable place for people and businesses to relocate. However, the loosely regulated growth throughout Metropolitan Houston is having many negative impacts on the quality of life and poses serious implications to the future viability and livability of Houston in the future. In most cities, zoning is one the most effective instruments used by planners to shape the built environment. However, since Houston and Harris County have no zoning powers, deed restrictions and ordinances are used as land use planning tools. Many planning decisions in Houston are made at the neighborhood level and are spear headed by non-profits such as the Gulf Coast Institute 2 . The Gulf Coast Institute (GCI) is an organization that seeks to create a livable community with a dynamic economy that revitalizes and protects neighborhoods, improves access, increases mobility...
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...Newsweek, 2006 Chakia Boutte, 12, surveys what she has lost in the year since Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast. The playground where she once spent afternoons is closed. Her block is full of stormwrecked homes, many abandoned. A pile of charred debris sits in front of what used to be Chakia’s house. The home was looted and burned after her family evacuated in a rescue boat. “I cried when I saw my house,” she says, remembering the first time she returned home after the storm. “[Looters] took everything, even my jar of pennies.” Chakia and her cousin Mikia Kirton, 8, have lived in Houston since the storm forced their families to move. The girls dreaded returning to school this fall. They say other kids sometimes make fun of them. “They say, ‘You used to have a home, now you live in the Astrodome,’” says Mikia. After Hurricane Katrina, thousands of evacuees had to take shelter at the Houston Astrodome. After spending time in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas, Toye Domino is happy to be starting fifth grade in New Orleans. “We had to travel halfway around the country to get back here,” says Toye, 10. “I want to stay here because it’s my hometown.” For kids in New Orleans, the start of school is a welcome sign of normalcy. One year ago, their lives were forever altered by Hurricane Katrina. More than 1,300 people died because of the Aug. 29, 2005, storm. About 770,000 people were displaced and evacuees scattered across the country. “New Orleans has changed a lot,” says Myeisha McDaniels...
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...students are involved in different activities which are mainly focused on local needs and at the same time developing their academic skills and commitment to the society. I went to Salvation Army which is located on 8145 Highway 6 S, Houston Tx 77083 and interviewed an Office Manager by the name of Quinta Johnson. At first I was nervous but she was very receptive and was willing to have me interview her after telling her the purpose of my visit. Based on the questions I asked her, I received a lot of information about this nonprofit organization. Salvation Army is a nonprofit organization and partly a church. It was established to help the less fortunate, the poor and homeless people, drugs and alcohol addicts by providing financial assistance, housing, rehabilitation and counseling. It does this so that those people in need do not waste away or indulge in any criminal activities. While it provides the assistance, the members spread the Word of God. It also organizes youth and adult programs where they teach on moral issues. Salvation Army goes international as well, they are in Canada, countries in Europe, Africa and South America. The Salvation Army has 10 full time employees, 6 part time and hundreds of volunteers from the whole of Houston who come to donate food, clothes, build shelters and preach the gospel. It receives funding from the fundraising which the members of staff do every two weeks. It also receives funds from generous people who donate money online, or they...
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...Pro Side Debate Summary Marlon D. Ector BCOM/275 2/23/2015 Michael Frank Introduction The Keystone XL Pipeline is a massive 875 mile pipe that goes across the United States from the lands of Alberta, Canada to the lands of Nebraska to connect to and exsisting pipeline and go on to the Texas Gulf Coast. It further is a costly project where numbers have totaled the values of trillions of dollars and years of work to complete this project. Pro’s When looking at this project of building a pipeline we have to look at all the things this project would do for the economy within the United States. A con to this project allows us to produce more energy and gives us the opportunity to compete in the world by moving oil at its lowest cost. Now, with all that we have been going through in these last few years of high gas prices, that bring good news to have a hope of lower prices. Then when looking at the massive size of this project through the length of time it will take to build through 1 country, and 3 states, allows you to see the vast ability to create jobs. According to the International Brotherhood of Teamsters in a 2014 article they were in agreement because it would produce 2,500 jobs for workers closer to the project and support 42,100 jobs. This would really aid the gross domestic product in a large way and help the United States in becoming major player within the market. The pipeline is one that will allow us as a Nation to...
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...Houston is one of the riskiest cities nationally for falling home prices, according to a recent report by a national mortgage insurance company. Arch Mortgage Insurance Co. ranked Houston No. 2 among 386 metropolitan cities nationally for having the highest risk for declining home prices. The Bayou City has a 38 percent chance of lower home prices in two years. The average risk nationally is 8 percent, according to the Walnut Creek, California-based company. “ Houston home prices are probably going to come down a little bit,” said Ralph DeFranco, Arch’s senior economist and director of risk analytics and pricing. “ I don’t think it’s going to continue to accelerate.” Although Houston has a relatively high risk for falling home prices compared to other cities, it’s important to remember that Houston’s risk is considered “moderate,” according to Arch’s risk model. Houston still is far from reaching the 90 percent risk level that Florida and other parts of the country saw right before the 2008 housing crash, DeFranco said. “Houston is the riskiest in a very stable national economy,” DeFranco said. “There’s a potential risk (for home price declines), but it’s not inevitable.” Houston is at risk because its economy is still largely oil-dependent, DeFranco said. Although the Bayou City’s economy has become more diversified since the devastating oil crash of 1980s, the oil and natural gas industry still constitutes about 38 percent of the local economy, according to the Greater...
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...--Use Times New Roman font— 12 point font for your contact information; 10 or 11 point for the body of your resume Your Name in 18-24 Point, Bold Complete current mailing address ▪ Telephone ▪ professional email address OBJECTIVE Seeking position with type of company, utilizing skills (fill in the blanks) EDUCATION Bachelor of Arts (or Science) in _______ (major) Month and Year of Graduation (or expected date) University of Houston- Houston, Texas Minor (Optional) Overall GPA or GPA in Major (Optional- Only if 3.0 or higher) RELEVANT COURSEWORK (Optional) List classes related to your career goals. Do not list course catalog numbers. RELEVANT PROJECTS (If all your projects have been at UH, you may put UH on this line.) Project Name, University of Houston- Houston, TX, Spring 2014 List your tasks and what you learned/skills you gained Use strong verbs to explain what you did and quantify, if possible EXPERIENCE (List in reverse chronological order) Intern Month (Abbreviate) Year - Month Year Name of Business or Organization, City, State Put your strongest selling point first; you may want to note the number of hours you worked per week Focus on accomplishments and results, not just job duties Provide as much detail about your responsibilities as possible Quantify any results whenever possible and use industry keywords/buzzwords Position Title in Bold Month (Abbreviate) Year - Month Year Name of Business or Organization, City, State ...
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...Beginner’s Guide to Houston Houston is mostly known for the annual Rodeo, the Southern hospitality, and being the fourth largest city in the nation, and Houston has much more to offer. Houston has many fascinating things about it. Houston has an engaging art scene, crazy traffic, world class sports and successful celebrities that came from the big H. This rapid growing city is also known for being called “clutch city”. Houston is an overall great place to live with exciting energy and compelling places to visit. Some people would say all the creativity and art lives in New York but Houston is very artsy. There is the Houston symphony, The Grand Opera, The Houston Ballet, The Wortham Theater and The Theater Under the Stars. It is called the Theatre under the Stars because there are a...
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...Orleans were breached, eighty percent of the city was submerged by the flooding. About twenty percent of its 500,000 citizens were trapped in the city without power, food, or drinking water. Rescue efforts were so delayed and haphazard that many were stranded for days on rooftops and in attics before help arrived. The city became a toxic pool of sewage, chemicals, and corpses, and in the ensuing chaos, mayhem and looting became rampant; about fifteen percent of the city’s police force had simply walked off the job. The 20,000 people who made their way to the Superdome, the city’s emergency shelter, found themselves crammed into sweltering and fetid conditions. At a second shelter, the convention center, evacuees were terrorized by roaming gangs and random gunfire. Relief workers, medical help, security forces, and essential supplies remained profoundly inadequate during the first critical days of the disaster. New Orleans was in the path of that particular storm. I remember it like it was yesterday. My family and I received minor damage from this hurricane that year. We were left in the dark for over a week when this storm occurred. The city was mostly deserted during this storm. It was mostly the poor and immobile who were left behind as the storm hit (Getis et. al, 2011). I do not think that Hurricane Katrina would have been such a tragedy if there weren’t many people left behind. It may seem impossible, but there could have been other ways to get those people...
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...The Influence of Health Informatics on Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital Memorial Hermann system is the biggest nonprofit organization in Texas. Altogether, it serves the greater Houston area with 12 hospitals and has a large network of affiliated doctors. Located in the heart of southwest Houston, Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital has been caring for families since 1977. A 568-bed facility, Memorial Hermann Southwest employs a team of highly well trained affiliated physicians and uses advanced technology to offer superlative care close to home. At the HVI, (Heart and Vascular Institute), physicians and patients benefit from technology at the primary edge and original cardiovascular programs. (Memorial Hermann Southwest, 2013). What impact did the rapid evolution of Asian immigration in Southwest Houston had on Memorial Hermann Southwest growth? Does Memorial Hermann mission statement value the community? How does Memorial Hermann health informatics technologies to impact its healthcare delivery and how does it use emerging trends in technology to support its initiatives? In August 2009 the Memorial Hermann Hospital System announced its plan to sell its Southwest Hospital to the Harris County Hospital District, which wanted to make the hospital its third general hospital (O'Hare, 2009). The majority of the medical staff and employees expressed strong dissatisfaction with the plan and manifested intents to resign if the sale took effect. On...
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...HOUSTON MAJOR ELECTION Name: Institution: Introduction An election is a planned official procedure of electing as well as being elected, particularly of an associate of a political body (Eulau, 2015). Consequently, this paper will attempt to demonstrate on the names as well as the background of the three candidates, the issues that are being debated by the candidates. The candidates stand on the issues, who won along with the candidate that I favored. Thus, this will be concerning the Houston major election. The Election period impends in Houston. This November, the people will cast their votes ushering in a novel mayor into office so as to substitute Democrat Anise Parker, who has worked the utmost of three terms ever since 2010. Seven candidates have affirmed their submission with five Democrats along with two Republicans. Thus, each one of them offers their response to the city’s disputes as well as policy’s to ensure its development. Considering that the voter turnout in mayoral elections has gradually reduced in a couple of the last years. It is vital to connect as Houstonians that have a vested significance not only in the city’s educational growth but its opinionated life as well (Garza, 2014). Among the candidates, they comprise Chris Bell, who is a Democrat, Bill King a Republican as well...
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...Houston Methodist Teletracking System CIS/207 December 1, 2014 Michale Prator Houston Methodist Teletracking System The Houston Methodist is a recognized organization in leading medicine with multiple specialties spanned across various hospital buildings in which it houses its patients. In order to keep track of bed assignments, the Houston Methodist Hospital had to upgrade its bed tracking system to a process that gave real live time bed updates. In the following, I will describe the type and basic use of the system, how the business requirements drove the system's initial development, how the system has helped the organization, and any likely future development. The Type and Basic Use of the Teletracking System Teletracking is an IT solution created to help hospital manage the length of stay for patients. This software allows the hospital to see live time bed capacity, patients in the process of discharge, and transportation of patients from one location to another. Teletracking provides a large amount of valuable data to the business perspective of Houston Methodist Hospital, and its daily operational management (Teletracking Technologies, Inc, (2014)). The Requirements that Drove the System's Initial Development "The hospital had built a new ED in 1999, but to solve its efficiency problem, it needed a new technology approach. Hospital administrators engaged a consulting company to help the hospital determine precisely what problems existed and how to...
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...The winter seemed boundless being that it was an exceptionally cold one. Endless weeks of temperatures well below zero degrees made time drag. It seemed like spring would never come…nevertheless June. My wife was offered one of those ‘can’t say no to’ deals in Houston Texas and after much deliberation and debating, we felt that the better thing to do would be for me to stay behind and get the kids through the rest of the school year. It wasn’t until that first cold drop of water desperately pulling itself away from the roof falls down the back of my neck that I knew time had passed and the spring had arrived. Temperatures finally gave way to the inevitability of spring life. I smiled and knew we would make it…it would be ok and soon enough the kids would see their mother and I my wife. The smell of damp pine needles and dark earth pierced my nose as I stood on the porch looking out at the streets in the evening. The spring rains carried on what seemed like endlessly and day and night blended into each other - the water dripping from the eaves and rain tapping at the windowpanes. I could hear that branch scratching at my house at night as the winds that accompanied the spring rain bent the old birch tree at whim. My time to leave was nearing and I filled with excitement and anxiety. The frantic packing began. I brought home copious amounts of boxes…large ones, medium ones, small, tall, wardrobe and television ones. I brought home dish packing kits and endless feet...
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...If you have ever visited and/or lived in the state of Texas, you have seen signs posted all over stating “Don’t Mess with Texas”. These signs are posted to remind people not to drop their trash on the ground of our big state. Well even those who live here have to be reminded more than others, which brings me to a very serious problem that is starting to brew in my neighborhood. I have noticed a truck coming into my neighborhood throwing their unwanted items and garbage in the vacant lot adjacent to my house. This has caused an enormous amount of frustration, complaints, and a disgraceful smell in our neighborhood. I live in a small community where everyone knows everybody, and we love our community, so I take it personal when someone tries to de-beautify my city. I agree with Winnie Wong (2013) when she said “I love my community and I do not like to see it littered and dirty. We need to do our best to keep our community looking clean!” I along with a few other residents called for a meeting with the HOA, (Home Owners Association) and informed them of the vastly growing issue. As Winnie Wong states, (2013) “It is important to keep our neighborhood clean and green”. We discussed several options and came up with a list of things that we would do to deter those who would come in and disrespect our neighborhood. Our first thought in our plan of attack is to prepare flyers that would simply state “Please DO NOT dump your trash here”. “To learn of more information...
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...Maroubra and Kogarah are the suburbs of Sydney. Both two cities have their own distinguished features. This report will compare the similar and contrast of their location, people, housing, and services features of the two cities. The housing at the both cities is similar because their locations are not far from the CBD (Central Business District). Therefore, the median apartment price of the two cities is almost equal which Maroubra is slightly expensive than Kogarah, the respective prices are $575.000 and $420.000. In general, apartment price is cheaper than house price at the both cities, so the percentage of people live in apartment is similar, 42% and 45%, respectively. The people of the two cities differ greatly in population and composition. Firstly, the number of people in Maroubra is twice times in Kogarah. It has about 26,500 people whereas Maroubra has only 10,900 people. Besides, the largest group of the age of the two cities is nearly equal, 20 years old to 39 years old: 33% and 31%. Secondly, in both cities, the citizens almost were born in Australia, Maroubra is 53% and Koragah is 47%, which means nearly 50% of the population are immigrants or born oversea. The most nationalities of them in Kogarah are United Kingdom and Indonesia, 4% and 3%, respectively, while Kogarah are Chinese and Greek, 7% and 4%, respectively. Finally, there are similarities and differences in the services of the two cities including transport, retail, hospital and education facilities...
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