休斯顿市议会授予 Park Eight Place 步行场所称号

德克萨斯州休斯顿 市于 2024 年 11 月 5 日将其首个由开发商发起的步行场所称号授予 Park Eight Place，这是 Westchase 区一个占地 70 英亩的新综合用途开发项目，以更健康的生活方式为中心。

休斯顿市于 2020 年启动了步行场所计划，旨在通过创建行人友好环境的建筑设计标准来促进步行、自行车和公共交通的使用。

Park Eight Place 位于 Bellaire Boulevard 和 Beltway 8，将拥有更宽的人行道、引人入胜的店面、舒适的种植缓冲区和街道通透性，这将有助于在整个项目中促进安全和步行的通道。

“这一称号是对开发商将行人体验放在首位的努力的认可，他们让步行更加安全，进出建筑物更加方便，并提供了更多有机聚集的空间，”休斯顿市议会 F 区议员 Tiffany D. Thomas 说道,“这些开发项目，例如 Park Eight Place，旨在成为人们可以生活、工作和娱乐的目的地，所有生活便利设施都近在咫尺。”

Park Eight Place 的发展规划是成为一个繁荣的城市村庄，体现健康和便利，同时促进社交聚会和创新，使其成为人们聚会的更健康场所。

“我们将 Park Eight Place 开发为一个明确的步行场所，因为这是正确的做法，”Park Eight Place 总经理 Charles Lusk 说道。“它旨在让那些渴望户外活动和想要更多锻炼的人受益——即使在城市环境中——它将创建一个框架来支持当地企业，让人们可以轻松地光顾这些企业。此外，位于这里的公司将在五分钟的步行路程内拥有员工想要的便利设施。而这些只是其中的一些好处。”

众所周知，散步对健康有很多好处。经常快步走可以帮助预防或控制心脏病和 2 型糖尿病、强健骨骼、提高能量水平、改善情绪和认知能力、增强免疫系统、减轻压力和紧张。此外，哈佛医学院下属的哈佛健康出版社报告称，每周步行七小时或更长时间的女性患乳腺癌的风险降低 14%。每周步行五到六英里不仅可以减轻关节炎相关的疼痛，还可以预防关节炎的形成。

Park Eight Place 将进一步鼓励更健康的生活方式，它与相邻的 200 英亩的 Arthur Storey 公园相连，并在 Brays Bayou Greenway Trail 沿线打造一个目的地，将 Katy 与休斯顿市中心及其他地区连接起来。

“我们设想 Park Eight Place 的居民可以骑自行车乘坐地铁去医疗中心上班，然后沿着小路骑车回家，”Lusk 说。

Park Eight Place 将融合各式各样的美食、文化和娱乐选择，以人性化的方式反映休斯顿的全球品味。

帮助 Park Eight Place 焕发生机的是 Gensler，一家全球设计、建筑和城市规划公司；TBG Partners，景观建筑、城市设计和场所营造领域的领导者；BGE（前身为 Brown and Gay Engineers），休斯顿最大的土木工程公司之一；以及许多其他可持续发展、社区复原力、能源和碳减排领域的领先专家。基础设施建设工作将于今年晚些时候开始。

更多信息请访问 www.parkeightplace.com。

(Houston, Texas – Nov. 5, 2024)    -            The City of Houston has awarded its first developer-initiated Walkable Places designationto Park Eight Place, a new 70-acre mixed-use development in the Westchase District that is centered on healthier lifestyles.

The city launched the Walkable Places program in 2020 to promote walkability, biking and transit use through architectural design standards that create pedestrian-friendly environments.

Located at Bellaire Boulevard and Beltway 8, Park Eight Place will feature wider sidewalks, engaging storefronts, comfortable planting buffers and permeability to the street that will help promote safe and walkable access throughout the project.

“This designation recognizes efforts of developers to put the pedestrian experience first and foremost, allowing for safer movement on foot, easy entry into buildings and more spaces to gather organically,” said Houston City Council Member Tiffany D. Thomas, District F. “These developments, such as Park Eight Place, are designed to become destinations where people can live, work and play with all of life’s conveniences just a short walk away.”

The vision for Park Eight Place is to be a thriving urban village that embodies health and convenience while fostering social gathering and innovation to make it a healthier place for people to come together.

“We are developing Park Eight Place as a defined walkable place because it’s the right thing to do,” said Charles Lusk, General Manager of Park Eight Place. “It’s intended to benefit people who desire being outdoors and want more exercise — even in an urban setting — and it will create a framework to support local businesses that allows people to easily stop into those businesses. Additionally, companies located here will have the conveniences their employees desire all within a five-minute walk. And those are just some of the benefits.”

Walking is known to have a multitude of health benefits. According to the Mayo Clinic, regular brisk walking can help prevent or manage heart disease and type 2 diabetes, strengthen bones, increase energy levels, improve mood and cognition, strengthen your immune system and reduce stress and tension. In addition, Harvard Health Publishing — part of Harvard Medical School — reports that women who walk seven or more hours per week lower their risk of breast cancer 14 percent. Walking five to six miles a week can not only reduce arthritis-related pain but can prevent arthritis from forming. 

Park Eight Place will further encourage healthier living by connecting to the adjacent 200-acre Arthur Storey Park and creating a destination along the Brays Bayou Greenway Trail that links Katy to downtown Houston and beyond.

“We envision residents of Park Eight Place to be able to ride the METRO with their bikes to work at the Medical Center and then bike home along the trail,” Lusk said. 

Park Eight Place will be a mix of eclectic culinary options, cultural and entertainment options that reflect Houston’s global tastes at a human scale. 

Helping to bring Park Eight Place to life are Gensler, a global design, architecture and urban planning firm; TBG Partners, a leader in landscape architecture, urban design and placemaking; BGE (formerly known as Brown and Gay Engineers), one of the largest civil engineering firms in Houston; and many other leading experts for sustainability, community resiliency, energy and carbon reduction efforts.Work on infrastructure is set to begin later this year.

More information can be found at www.parkeightplace.com.