Jones Plaza in Central Houston was redesigned in 2001 to accommodate large concerts and events, but locals objected to the lack of green space. So planners are going back to the drawing board.
'The plaza sits above street level atop a three-story parking garage and is flanked by several structures covered in green and blue mosaic tiles.
When it opened, some said it resembled a bus station bathroom and dubbed it 'Jordy's Toilet' after Jordy Tollett, the city's then-director of convention and entertainment facilities, who spearheaded the project.
"There are clearly a lot of people that are not very pleased with the way in which Jones Plaza works today," said Bob Eury, president of Central Houston, which submitted the request to architects on behalf of the city's Convention & Entertainment Facilities Department.
The plaza opened in 1967, but largely languished until 1987 when a weekly free live rock concert called Party on the Plaza began enticing workers to stay downtown at night."
FULL STORY: Maligned design for Jones Plaza will get a redo
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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research