The Project

Urban Sprawl: The decentralization of the urban core through the unlimited outward extension of dispersed development beyond the urban fringe where low density residential and commercial development exacerbates fragmentation of powers over land use; also, the consumption of resources and land in excess of what is necessary where development is costly and underutilized existing infrastructure (at least according to smarte.org).

A perfect description for my current city of residence--Houston, TX.



Here is a little info about Houston gleaned from the lazy researcher's website of choice--Wikipedia:

Population
* 4th largest city in the US with 2.2 million over 600 sqmiles
* 6th largest metropolitan area of 5.7 million people over 10,000 sqmiles (slightly larger than New Jersey, slightly smaller than Massachusetts)

Transportation
* There over 730mi of freeway and expressway supported by 8 (yes 08.00) miles of metro rail. Until recently, by far, the largest concentrated population without a metro system. Not like 8.0 miles makes a huge difference.
* Public transportation does not connect many parts of the Houston metropolitan area, requiring individual cars.

Weather
* Hot and humid


Geography
* Flat. Downtown is a whopping 50ft above sea level making flooding a minor problem.

photo taken by someone (not me) after Hurricane Ike of the downtown area


So back to project...I am going to put my keys on ice from September 2009 through May 2010 and not drive my car for 9 months inside Beltway 8 of Houston. I am going to try to live my life to the fullest through the simple use of my bicycle and public transport. But let's face it, after living in Houston for 2.5 years I have decided that biking from point A to point B usually takes less time than waiting for the bus to show up. Hence the name 'Pedaling Houston'. I hope to do it all, attached to two wheels instead of four, in the ultimate urban jungle.

I have no idea how this will turn out. It's not that I don't think this is a feasible project, I'm just not sure my will power is up to the challenge.