* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.
          [Resilient H: Building a Safe, Strong, and Healthy District H (w/CM Mario Castillo) on October 16, 2025]
          [00:00:05]
          GOOD MORNING, ENO DIAZ. 
          HOW'S EVERYBODY DOING TODAY? A LIVELY GROUP FOR TODAY'S MOMENTOUS OCCASION. 
          MY NAME IS HOLLY MARIACA, AND I WORK WITH OPT ENERGY SERVICES, WHERE WE'RE FOCUSED ON LONG TERM, EFFICIENT CARBON REDUCING SOLUTIONS THAT CREATE BOTH ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES AND COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS. 
          AT APTERA, WE KNOW THAT REAL CHANGE COMES WHEN THE PUBLIC SECTOR, THE PRIVATE SECTOR, AND COMMUNITIES WORK TOGETHER. 
          THAT'S WHY I'M ESPECIALLY PROUD TO STAND HERE THIS MORNING IN SUPPORT OF AN INITIATIVE THAT DOES JUST THAT THE WORK OF RESILIENT H IS ABOUT MAKING NEIGHBORHOODS COOLER, HEALTHIER, AND MORE LIVABLE. 
          AND THAT ALIGNS DIRECTLY WITH APTERA'S COMMITMENT TO BUILDING SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY CENTERED ENERGY SOLUTIONS. 
          THESE KINDS OF PROJECTS SHOW WHAT'S POSSIBLE WHEN WE COMBINE INNOVATION WITH PARTNERSHIP TO DELIVER RESULTS THAT PEOPLE CAN FEEL IN THEIR DAILY LIVES. 
          IT IS NOW MY HONOR TO INTRODUCE SOMEONE WHO HAS BEEN LISTENING TO RESIDENTS LEARNING FROM GLOBAL BEST PRACTICES, AND IS COMMITTED TO BRINGING FORWARD SOLUTIONS THAT WILL MAKE DISTRICT H IN ALL OF HOUSTON STRONGER, HEALTHIER, AND MORE RESILIENT. 
          COUNCIL, MUMBLE MEMBER, MARIO CASTIGO. 
          GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. 
          THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE TODAY AS WE ANNOUNCE A NEW INITIATIVE FOR NEIGHBORHOOD LEVEL RESILIENCY IN DISTRICT H. 
          I WANT TO RECOGNIZE TWO OF MY COLLEAGUES WHO ARE HERE TODAY. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER JULIAN RAMIREZ AT LARGE POSITION NUMBER ONE, COUNCIL MEMBER SALLY ALCORN. 
          OUT POSITION NUMBER FIVE, WE HAVE STATE REPRESENTATIVE CHARLENE, WARD JOHNSON, ALSO HERE AS WELL. 
          AND WE HAVE STAFF FROM COUNCIL OR FROM STATE REPRESENTATIVE CHRISTINA MORALES'S OFFICE. 
          I SAW HECTOR HERE. 
          THERE HE IS. 
          YES. 
          THANK Y'ALL VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE. 
          YES. 
          AND THEN, UH, STAFF FROM COMMISSIONER ELLIS'S OFFICE IS ALSO HERE. 
          THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. 
          TODAY IS ABOUT A PROJECT THAT HAS COME TOGETHER OVER MANY DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES THAT I'VE HAD SINCE I'VE BEEN SERVING ON COUNCIL. 
          BUT IT REALLY STARTED RIGHT, RIGHT BEFORE I GOT ON COUNCIL. 
          UM, WHEN I WAS A CANDIDATE ACTUALLY, AND I WAS BLOCK WALKING MY DISTRICT. 
          UM, I DID IT A LOT IN THE SUMMER OF 2023. 
          AND YOU MIGHT NOTICE THERE WEREN'T A LOT OF TREES AROUND, UH, IN SOME OF THESE NEIGHBORHOODS. 
          THE SUMMER OF 2023 WAS ALSO A VERY HOT SUMMER. 
          UH, THE MONTH OF AUGUST ALONE, EVERY SINGLE DAY HAD ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE. 
          UH, IT DIDN'T STOP ME FROM BEING OUT THERE, BUT I DID GET TO SEE AND FEEL THE IMPACT THAT HEAT HAD ACROSS THE DISTRICT IN NEIGHBORHOODS WHERE YOU HAD TREE CANOPY AND SHADE, WHERE IT WAS A LITTLE MORE COMFORTABLE TO WALK, UH, THE STREETS AND IN NEIGHBORHOODS WHERE YOU DIDN'T. 
          AND NOT ONLY ARE YOU FEELING THAT HEAT COME UP FROM THE GROUND, BUT YOU'RE SEEING THE HOMES EXPOSED, THINKING ABOUT WHAT IS IT COSTING TO COOL THOSE HOMES IN THE SUMMER? YOU'RE NOTICING THERE'S NOT A LOT OF TREES. 
          WHAT IS THAT DOING TO THE AIR QUALITY IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS? AND YOU'RE LOOKING AT FOLKS THAT ARE JUST NOT, NOT AROUND. 
          THEY'RE NOT ABLE TO WALK THEIR DOG IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY. 
          THEY'RE NOT WALKING TO THEIR PARKS BECAUSE IT'S TOO HOT. 
          FAST FORWARD A YEAR, AND WE HAD TWO STORMS THAT TOOK DOWN A LOT OF OUR TREES. 
          SO NOT ONLY ARE WE EXPERIENCING THIS ACROSS DISTRICT H, BUT WE WENT BACKWARDS IN THE FACT THAT WE LOST TREE CANOPY. 
          WE SUFFERED FROM FLOODS. 
          WE WERE HIT WITH WEATHER EVENTS, WEATHER EVENTS THAT ARE PRETTY FREQUENT HERE IN THE HOUSTON REGION. 
          AND IT CAN BE A STORM, IT CAN BE A HURRICANE, IT CAN BE A FREEZE, IT CAN BE PROLONGED EXTREME HEAT AND DROUGHT. 
          BUT WE'RE DEALING WITH THESE ISSUES YEAR AFTER YEAR AFTER YEAR. 
          AND AS A CITY, WE HAVE SOME PRETTY BIG PROJECTS IN THE PIPELINE THAT ARE GONNA HELP US BE MORE RESILIENT, JUST, JUST OUT THIS WINDOW. 
          THE NORTH CANAL 
          [00:05:01]
IS GOING TO HELP IMPROVE OUR RESILIENCE IN A BIG WAY. 
          WE'RE DOING IMPROVEMENTS TO LAKE HOUSTON, TO THE DAM TO HELP US, UH, RELEASE WATER QUICKER AND BE MORE ADAPTIVE TO STORMS. BUT WHAT ARE WE DOING AT THE NEIGHBORHOOD LEVEL? THAT'S MY FOCUS AS A DISTRICT COUNCIL MEMBER, AND THAT'S WHERE I SEE A GAP. 
          I SAW AN OPPORTUNITY BECAUSE WE AS A CITY, WE BOUNCE BACK. 
          WE COME TOGETHER, WE ROLL UP OUR SLEEVES, WE HELP OUR NEIGHBORS OUT, AND WE RECOVER FROM THESE EVENTS. 
          BUT WHAT ARE WE DOING TO MAKE SURE THAT THE NEXT TIME WE'RE A LITTLE BETTER PREPARED, WE'RE A LITTLE MORE RESILIENT? THAT'S WHAT REALLY INSPIRED THIS PROJECT. 
          SO LOOKING AROUND READING, TRYING TO FIND SOME IDEAS ON WHAT TO DO. 
          THE CITY OF MEINE COLUMBIA KEPT POPPING UP. 
          UM, AND YOU MIGHT BE THINKING OF THE MEINE COLUMBIA OF THE 1980S AND THE 1990S, BUT IT'S NOT THAT WAY ANYMORE. 
          THEY HAVE TRANSFORMED THAT CITY, UM, AND THEY'VE DONE IT FROM A NUMBER OF WAYS, BUT ONE OF THOSE WAYS WAS THROUGH AN INTENTIONAL INVESTMENT IN THEIR RESILIENCY, BECAUSE THEY, LIKE HOUSTON, FACED A LOT OF DAYS OF EXTREME HEAT. 
          AND SO THEY TOOK WHAT WAS THEIR BIGGEST, ONE OF THEIR BIGGEST CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS, THEIR CORRIDORS, THEIR LANES OF HIGHWAYS WITH NO SHADE, NO TREE COVER, NO VEGETATION, AND THEY MADE AN EFFORT TO GREEN THOSE, TO COOL THEM ONE BY ONE. 
          UH, THEY'VE DONE NOW 31 OF THEM, THEY'VE LOWERED THEIR AVERAGE TEMPERATURE TWO DEGREES CELSIUS, AND IT HAS TRANSFORMED THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF THAT CITY. 
          UH, SO MUCH SO THAT MYSELF AND A AND A FEW OTHER STAKEHOLDERS WENT TO GO VISIT TO LEARN WHAT FROM MEDELLIN COULD BE BROUGHT TO HOUSTON. 
          AND SO THIS VIDEO THAT YOU'LL, UH, SEE HERE IN A SECOND WILL SUM IT ALL UP AND, UH, REALLY SHOW YOU WHAT WAS THERE, WHAT COULD BE BROUGHT BACK, AND, AND HOW SIMILAR WE ARE TO MEINE. 
          MY NAME IS MARIO CASTILLO. 
          I SERVE ON HOUSTON CITY COUNCIL REPRESENTING DISTRICT H. 
          AND I DREAMT UP THIS IDEA FOR A PROJECT THAT CAN HELP NEIGHBORHOODS BE MORE RESILIENT FROM A COMPREHENSIVE WAY. 
          AND THIS IS WHERE RESILIENT H WAS BORN. 
          MEINE KEPT COMING UP AS A PLACE TO LEARN FROM, AND THE MORE I LOOKED INTO IT, THE MORE I SAW THAT IT WAS NOTHING THAT REVOLUTIONARY THAT WAS HAPPENING IN MEIN. 
          RATHER, REALLY THOUGHTFUL COLLABORATION AMONGST THE CITY. 
          ITS PEOPLE AND, UH, ITS ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS TO ONE FOR DIVISION, BUT TWO THEN COMMIT TO WORKING TOGETHER OVER, OVER MANY YEARS. 
          THE GREEN CORRIDOR PROJECT WAS A WAY TO TAKE SOME OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTORS TO THE PROBLEM, WHICH WAS LANES AND LANES OF CONCRETE AND ASPHALT WITH NO SHADE OR TREE CANOPY. 
          GREEN THE CORRIDOR FROM THE MIDDLE OF THE MEDIANS TO THE SIDES OF THE ROADS, AND TURN THAT INTO SOMETHING THAT'S GOING TO PROVIDE SHADE, LOWER THE HEAT ISLAND EFFECT, IMPROVE THE COMFORT FOR WALKABILITY AND PEDESTRIANS AND CYCLISTS, AND DO IT IN A VERY INTENTIONAL WAY. 
          THE URBAN HEAT ISLAND EFFECT IS HOW, UH, A LOT OF FOLKS IN THE GREAT WIDE WORLD OF OF URBANISM TALK ABOUT, UM, THE CONSEQUENCE OF HAVING A LOT OF PEOPLE LIVING ON TOP OF EACH OTHER WITH A LOT OF ASPHALT BUILDINGS THEMSELVES, EAT UP A LOT OF ENERGY, AND IN DOING SO, ACTUALLY EMIT A LOT OF HEAT. 
          AND SO, UH, WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THE FUTURE OF HOUSTON AND, AND THE KIND OF AMENITIES THAT WE NEED TO BE INVESTING IN GREEN IS IMPORTANT, NOT JUST BECAUSE IT'S AESTHETICALLY PLEASING, AND IT'S A PLACE WHERE YOU CAN GO PLAY AND ENJOY, BUT BECAUSE IT'S GONNA COOL DOWN THE CITY, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S HOT AND WE'RE IN 110 DEGREE WEATHER. 
          THE TENDENCY IS TO GO FROM YOUR AIR CONDITIONED CAR INTO YOUR AIR CONDITIONED OFFICE, BACK INTO YOUR AIR CONDITIONED CAR, AND BACK INTO YOUR AIR CONDITIONED HOME. 
          IT'S IMPORTANT TO TAKE A LOOK AT WHERE WE CAN BE VERY INTENTIONAL WITH PLANNING AS A COMMUNITY AND TO MAKE SURE THAT THE HEAT ISLANDS THAT ARE, UM, VERY FREQUENT ACROSS THE CITY IN OUR MOST VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES ARE, UM, THERE'S A PLAN OF ATTACK, AND THIS IS ONE, UH, REAL WAY TO BE ABLE TO HELP WITH THAT EFFORT. 
          YOU SAW A LOT OF PEOPLE WALKING AND BIKING IN THE CITY. 
          YOU'RE NOT GONNA HAVE THAT IF YOUR CITY IS UNBEARABLY HOT ALL THE TIME. 
          THEY'RE VERY INTENTIONAL ABOUT PLANTS AND TREES AND SHADE STRUCTURES IN THEIR PLAZAS AND ALONG THEIR RIVERS 
          [00:10:01]
AND OVER THEIR HIGHWAYS WITH THEIR CAT PARKS. 
          AND THERE WAS ACTIVATION IN ALL OF THOSE AREAS. 
          WE WERE WALKING THROUGH ONE OF THEIR RIVER PARKS AND UNDERNEATH A SHADE STRUCTURE WAS A DANCE CLASS GOING ON OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY. 
          YOU JUST FELT THAT THE CITY WAS VIBRANT AND FULL OF ENERGY AND ACTIVITY, AND IT WAS GOOD ACTIVITY. 
          UH, IT WAS THE ACTIVITY YOU WANNA ENCOURAGE. 
          WELL, I THOUGHT THE TRIP WAS REALLY EFFECTIVE IN DELIVERING A LOT MORE INFORMATION AND UNDERSTANDING ON THE PROJECT. 
          YOU COULD REALLY FEEL THE DIFFERENT WAYS THAT THEY USED, UH, BIOPHILIC DESIGN IN THEIR INFRASTRUCTURE. 
          SO IT WASN'T JUST DONE ON GREEN WALLS, BUT THERE WAS, YOU KNOW, UH, MEDIAN WITH GREENERY. 
          THERE WAS USE OF GREENERY TO SLOW DOWN TRAFFIC. 
          AND I JUST THOUGHT THEIR IMPLEMENTATION WAS A LOT MORE DIVERSE THAN I WAS EXPECTING. 
          IT WAS THE SIDEWALKS, IT WAS THE, CERTAINLY THE MEDIAN CORRIDORS. 
          IT WAS THE WALLS, UH, ALONG THE HIGHWAYS. 
          EVERYWHERE YOU TURN, THERE WAS GREENERY. 
          YOU NOTICED AS YOU WENT AND VISITED THE CORRIDORS, AS YOU WENT ACROSS THE CITY, YOU DIDN'T SEE A LOT OF LITTER. 
          YOU DIDN'T SEE A LOT OF TRASH. 
          YOU SAW THE CORRIDORS MAINTAINED. 
          YOU SAW THEIR GREEN SPACES MAINTAINED. 
          THERE'S A PRIDE THERE IN WHAT THEY'VE DONE. 
          AND THESE TYPES OF INVESTMENTS, THESE TYPES OF PROJECTS HELP FOSTER THAT CIVIC PRIDE. 
          I DON'T THINK OUR TEMPERATURE AND OUR CLIMATES ARE GETTING BETTER WITHOUT US DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT. 
          UM, SO I THINK IT MAKES SENSE FOR US TO WORK ON IT NOW. 
          AND WHAT DO THEY ALWAYS SAY? LIKE, THE BEST TIME TO PLANT A TREE IS TODAY. 
          WE COULD CONTINUE TO DO NOTHING AND HOPE THAT THAT CHANGES, BUT THAT'S NOT LIKELY TO BE OUR EXPERIENCE. 
          UH, WE'RE SEEING FREEZES NOW CONSISTENTLY IN THE WINTER. 
          WE'RE SEEING SUMMER STORMS THAT AREN'T EVEN HURRICANES, UH, CAUSING DAMAGE FROM FLOOD, FROM WIND, FROM POWER OUTAGES. 
          SO THERE'S NO DOUBT THAT THIS IS GONNA BE SOMETHING THE CITY WILL CONTINUE TO FACE IN THE YEARS TO COME. 
          WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT WHAT CAN WE DO AS WE BUILD, AS WE REPAIR OUR CITY TO MORE RESILIENT. 
          THERE'S CONCRETE OUT THERE THAT IS PERVIOUS THAT WILL HELP DRAINAGE. 
          THERE ARE SIDEWALKS OUT THERE IN OTHER CITIES THAT ABSORB MORE HEAT THAN THEY REFLECT. 
          WE HAVE TO START SOMEWHERE. 
          AND DISTRICT H IS ABSOLUTELY IMPACTED BY ALL OF THOSE DIFFERENT WEATHER EVENTS THAT WE'RE SEEING. 
          WHAT I THINK NOW IS, IS, UH, IS A REALLY GREAT CHANCE FOR US TO COME TOGETHER, UH, AS PUBLIC, PRIVATE, NONPROFIT PARTNERS, AND CLAIM A STAKE IN THE IDEA THAT SOMETHING NEEDS TO CHANGE AND THIS INITIATIVE AND RESILIENT H IS A RESPONSE TO THAT. 
          IF THERE ARE PEOPLE OUT THERE THAT ARE WILLING TO BE A LITTLE CREATIVE, TO BE A LITTLE FLEXIBLE, WE CAN DO THIS IN DISTRICT H IN A WAY THAT CAN RAISE THE BAR ON QUALITY OF LIFE, ON RESILIENCE, ON AFFORDABILITY, ON SO MANY THINGS THAT COULD THEN BE APPLIED CITYWIDE. 
          THAT APPLAUSE IS FOR THOMAS, WHO PUT TOGETHER A FANTASTIC VIDEO . 
          SO WE LEARNED QUITE A BIT FROM MEIN AND LEARNED THAT A LOT OF IT CAN BE APPLIED HERE IN HOUSTON IN THE WAY THAT WE ARE THINKING ABOUT TACKLING THIS ISSUE. 
          AND YES, WE'RE GONNA PLANT A LOT OF TREES. 
          THAT'S, THAT'S A BIG PART OF THIS, AND THAT IS A NECESSARY PART OF THIS, BUT IT'S NOT THE ONLY PART. 
          UM, WE WANT 43RD STREET TO BE MORE SHADED LIKE WE HAVE DOWN BAYLAND. 
          UM, THINK ABOUT WHAT THAT DOES TO THE AIR QUALITY. 
          THINK ABOUT WHAT THAT DOES TO THE AFFORDABILITY, TO YOUR QUALITY OF LIFE AND TO THE TEMPERATURE FOR THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF THE OLDER RESIDENTS WHO ARE MORE IMPACTED BY EXTREME HEAT, WHICH WE GET FREQUENTLY HERE IN HOUSTON. 
          AND THE DATA BACKS US UP ON THIS. 
          UM, YOU'LL HEAR MORE IN OUR PANEL DISCUSSION ABOUT THIS, BUT FROM THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT TO THE KINDER INSTITUTE TO OTHERS THAT WE MET WITH, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT WAYS TO MEASURE THE IMPACT OF EXTREME HEAT ON DISTRICT H. 
          AND YOU CAN SEE THAT MAP, THAT HEAT MAP, YOU CAN REALLY JUST PICTURE. 
          YOU CAN SEE THE OUTLINE OF THE DISTRICT THERE. 
          I MEAN, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT DIRECTLY IMPACTS THE CONSTITUENTS AND THE RESIDENTS OF DISTRICT H. 
          AND WE HAVE A LOT OF OLDER 
          [00:15:01]
NEIGHBORHOODS, A LOT OF HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS, AND AN OLDER POPULATION WHO ARE, AGAIN, MORE VULNERABLE TO EXTREME HEAT. 
          SO PUTTING THIS ALL TOGETHER, WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO? HOW ARE WE GONNA APPROACH THIS? IT'S A FOUR PRONGED APPROACH, ONE THAT STARTS WITH ENHANCED GREEN SPACE AND PARKS, AND THAT IS AT THE NEIGHBORHOOD LEVEL. 
          SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT TREES, UM, WE'RE GONNA PLANT TREES, BUT WE WANNA PLANT TREES IN PEOPLE'S YARDS. 
          UH, WE DON'T WANT TO JUST PLANT THEM ALL IN EASEMENTS AND, AND, UM, YOU KNOW, RIGHT OF WAYS. 
          UH, WE WANT THEM TO HAVE AN IMPACT IN HOMES AND PARKS AS WELL THAT ARE IN THESE NEIGHBORHOODS, UM, BECAUSE THOSE NOT ONLY SERVE AS A PLACE FOR PEOPLE TO GO TO FOR RECREATION, BUT IN THE FUTURE, AS WE'RE LOOKING AT WHAT WE'RE DOING AS A CITY WITH OUR BACKUP GENERATORS AT OUR COMMUNITY CENTERS AND, AND OUR MULTI-SERVICE CENTERS, THOSE PARKS CAN SERVE AS RESILIENCY HUBS, UH, IN THE TIME OF NEED. 
          SO WE'RE GONNA FOCUS ON OUR NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS, GREEN SPACE HOME WEATHERIZATION, WHICH WILL INCLUDE WEATHERIZATION PROGRAMS ALREADY OFFERED BY CENTER POINT THAT WE WILL, UH, WORK TO GET DISTRICT H RESIDENTS SIGNED UP FOR. 
          UH, THIS IS IN THE WINTER TO, OR IN THE FALL TO WEATHERIZE FOR THE WINTER, AND THEN AGAIN IN THE SPRING WHEN THEY WILL, UH, COME AND SERVICE YOUR AIR CONDITIONER SO THAT IT'S RUNNING MORE EFFICIENTLY AND IT'S NOT BREAKING DOWN IN THE SUMMER WHEN YOU NEED IT THE MOST. 
          UM, WE WORKED, UH, A GREAT PARTNERSHIP OUT WITH OUR LABOR FRIENDS AND THE PLUMBERS UNION. 
          UH, WHILE WE ARE OUT HERE IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS DOING THIS, THEY ARE GONNA BE WRAPPING THE EXPOSED PIPES TO HELP PROTECT THE VULNERABLE HOMES FROM THE FREEZES THAT WE'RE GETTING. 
          UM, AND THEY WILL ALSO HELP US INSTALL RAIN BARRELS SO THAT THE TREES THAT WE ARE PLANTING HAVE A WATER SOURCE, UH, 50 GALLON RAIN BARRELS, WHICH IF YOU DO IT AT SCALE, WILL HELP YOUR STORM WATER RUNOFF IN A NEIGHBORHOOD. 
          UH, IT HELPS YOUR DITCH NOT GET INUNDATED AS QUICKLY AND GIVES YOU A SOURCE, UH, FOR YOUR, YOUR GARDEN, YOUR LAWN, WHICH WILL HELP LOWER YOUR WATER BILL. 
          OUR INFRASTRUCTURE, THIS IS WHERE WE'RE LOOKING AT OUR CORRIDORS. 
          UH, WHAT ARE WE BUILDING WITH, WHAT ARE WE MAINTAINING WITH? WHAT ARE WE DOING TO COOL THEM? DIFFERENT SHADE STRUCTURE ALONG THE SIDES, UH, OF OUR CORRIDORS. 
          AND THEN FINALLY, SMART AND PRACTICAL POLICY. 
          UH, WHAT CAN WE DO AT CITY COUNCIL TO HELP MAKE THIS TYPE OF DEVELOPMENT EASIER TO DO? WHAT CAN WE DO TO INCENTIVIZE IT? UH, WHAT CAN WE DO TO GET WHAT WE ALREADY HAVE ON THE BOOKS BETTER UTILIZED? THOSE ARE THE FOUR APPROACHES THAT WE'RE GONNA TAKE AS PART OF THIS EFFORT. 
          AND I, UM, I DON'T WANT YOU TO JUST TAKE MY WORD FOR IT. 
          UM, DOWNTOWN HOUSTON PLUS IS ALREADY DOING THIS, UH, RIGHT OVER HERE ON MAIN STREET FOR THEIR PROMENADE PROJECT. 
          THEY ARE ACTIVELY CONSTRUCTING A COOL CORRIDOR IN, IN THIS PROJECT. 
          AND YOU CAN SEE FROM THE GRAPH, NOT ONLY IS IT GONNA LOOK AMAZING, BUT IT'S GOING TO HAVE A REAL IMPACT. 
          THE GOAL OF A 20 DEGREE DECREASE IN SURFACE TEMPERATURE, A THREE TO FIVE DEGREE DECREASE IN AVERAGE, AMBIENT TEMPERATURE, A LOT OF TREES, 42,000 PLUS GALLONS OF STORM WATER CAPACITY THROUGH THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT. 
          UH, THIS IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW. 
          AND, AND IT'LL BE DONE FAIRLY SOON. 
          SO WE HAVE THE WORK ALREADY HAPPENING. 
          THERE IS A, A TEMPLATE FOR THIS RIGHT OUTSIDE THIS BUILDING. 
          UM, AND IT'S GOING TO TAKE PARTNERS, IT'S GONNA TAKE STAKEHOLDERS, AND AT THIS POINT WE ARE GONNA TRANSITION TO A PANEL DISCUSSION SO YOU CAN HEAR FROM OTHERS WHAT THIS IS LIKE FROM THEIR PERSPECTIVE, WHAT THE CHALLENGE IS LIKE FOR OUR CITY, AND THE WAYS THAT WE CAN APPROACH THIS, UM, THIS CHALLENGE. 
          UH, WHILE WE, WHILE WE DO THAT, UM, THE PANEL'S GONNA BE MODERATED BY CHRIS LARSON, PRESIDENT, CEO OF CENTRAL HOUSTON, BECAUSE OF THE WORK THAT THEY ARE DOING. 
          WHO, WHO BETTER TO LEAD THIS DISCUSSION THAN, UH, THE PERSON LEADING THE ORGANIZATION BUILDING A COOL CORRIDOR RIGHT HERE IN DISTRICT H. 
          UM, SO WE'RE GONNA, UH, I'M GONNA ASK THE PANELISTS TO COME AND, AND HAVE A SEAT. 
          AND WHILE WE DO THAT, I DO WANT TO RECOGNIZE WE HAVE BEEN JOINED BY STATE SENATOR CAROL ALVARADO. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE AND STAFF FROM CONGRESSWOMAN SYLVIA GARCIA'S OFFICE. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE. 
          [00:20:01]
AND, UH, WE HAVE STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER ABBY CAYMAN'S OFFICE IN THE BACK. 
          THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. 
          AND SPEAKING OF PARTNERS, MY HUSBAND HAS JOINED US, JOEL, THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          THANKS. 
          HE DOESN'T, UH, OFTEN GET TO SEE ME, UH, IN THIS, THIS, THIS PARTICULAR ELEMENT, SO, UH, I'M GLAD HE'S ABLE TO JOIN US. 
          UM, CHRIS, WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, CHRIS LARSON WITH DOWNTOWN HOUSTON PLUS, UH, WE HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF MANAGING A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT TOOLS HERE IN DOWNTOWN. 
          UH, FIRST IS CENTRAL HOUSTON, THAT'S OUR OLDEST, UH, BUT, BUT ALSO THE DOWNTOWN REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY. 
          AND WE'RE JOINED BY OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY, UH, WHO'S IN THE BACK, ALAN DOUGLAS, UH, AS WELL AS OUR, UH, HOUSTON DOWNTOWN MANAGEMENT DISTRICT, UM, WHICH HAS BEEN A CRITICAL TOOL FOR HELPING TO ADVANCE, UH, THESE TYPES OF PROJECTS IN DOWNTOWN FOR, FOR NOW, FOR 30 YEARS. 
          UM, ONE I ALSO MENTION WITH REGARDS TO THAT MAIN STREET PROJECT, UM, IN THE ROOM TODAY ARE, UH, TWO OF THE HARDEST WORKING PROJECT MANAGERS AND CREATIVE DESIGNERS THAT I'VE EVER MET. 
          MS. CASSIE, HOPE RICH, WHO IS OUR DIRECTOR OF PLANNING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. 
          UH, YES, THAT DESERVES A ROUND OF APPLAUSE. 
          AND OUR LEAD URBAN DESIGNER, JACKIE GONZALEZ GARCIA, WHO IS, UH, ALSO HERE, AND YOU SAW HER IN THE VIDEO, JACKIE, NOW WE HEARD, UH, THE COUNCIL MEMBER LAY OUT, UM, YOU KNOW, A REALLY BOLD VISION FOR WHAT WE CAN BE DOING, UH, TO BE ABLE TO ADVANCE RESILIENCY WITHIN THE COMMUNITY. 
          UM, AND I THINK THAT IT WAS, UH, NO MISTAKE, UH, THAT WE ARE HERE AT THE CONFLUENCE, UM, OF, OF OUR TWO CRITICAL VALUES WHERE THEY JOIN, UH, WHICH IS BOTH THE ORIGIN OF OUR COMMUNITY, BUT ALSO ONE OF OUR PRIME VULNERABILITIES, RIGHT? AS, AS WE EXPERIENCE FLOODING, UM, IN OTHER TYPES OF, UH, REALLY CHALLENGING CRISES, UH, THAT OUR COMMUNITY IS NOW POISED TO RESPOND TO, UM, IN SUSTAINABLE AND INNOVATIVE WAYS. 
          AND, AND WE'RE GONNA HAVE A CONVERSATION THIS MORNING, UH, ABOUT WHAT WE CAN DO, UH, TO TAKE RESILIENT H AND COUNCIL MEMBER, THEY'LL BE MAD FROM DISTRICT H TO REALLY THE H TOWN, RIGHT? AND SO TO, TO TALK ABOUT HOW WE START TO SCALE THIS AT A CITYWIDE, I'M SURPRISED YOU HADN'T ALREADY DONE THAT, UH, TO TALK ABOUT WHAT THIS MEANS FOR OUR CITY, UH, AND WHAT WE CAN BE LEARNING FROM EACH OTHER, HOW WE CAN INSPIRE EACH OTHER, HOW WE CAN LEVERAGE ONE ANOTHER'S, UH, UNIQUE ASSETS, CAPACITIES, RESOURCES, AND MORE, UH, TO REALLY CHANGE THE PATH FORWARD FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON. 
          SO I HAVE THE HONOR OF, OF FACILITATING, UH, A, A REALLY TALENTED PANEL THIS MORNING. 
          UM, TO MY LEFT HERE IS, UH, MR. RANDY MOCHI, ROUND OF APPLAUSE. 
          UH, RANDY LEADS THE LARGEST ACCREDITED PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT IN THE UNITED STATES, UH, OVER A THOUSAND FTES, AND, UM, I THINK HE'S MORE THAN A THOUSAND DOWN AS WELL. 
          SO HE HAS GOT A, A TREMENDOUS CHALLENGE OF KEEPING UP WITH THE INFRASTRUCTURE, UM, OF OUR DEAR CITY. 
          UM, BUT, UH, THIS MAN LEADS WITH VISION AND PASSION, UM, AND ALSO A TREMENDOUS LEVEL OF OPEN-MINDEDNESS THAT YOU, YOU FAIRLY RARELY FIND. 
          UH, SO WANT TO THANK RANDY FOR BEING ON OUR PANEL. 
          UH, NEXT IS ELIZABETH BROCK. 
          ROUND OF APPLAUSE. 
          ELIZABETH WEARS SO MANY HATS IN THIS COMMUNITY THAT I PROBABLY HAVE LOST TRACK OF A FEW OF THEM, UH, BUT SHE IS, UH, ON THE EXECUTIVE TEAM AT CENTER POINT, UM, IS ALSO CURRENTLY THE CHAIR OF METRO, UH, AS WELL AS A BOARD MEMBER FOR HOUSTON FIRST. 
          SO SHE IS A CRITICAL PART OF THE CIVIC FABRIC THAT UNITES THIS COMMUNITY, UH, AND WILL HELP US CONTINUE TO EVOLVE INTO THE FUTURE. 
          SO, ELIZABETH, THANK YOU. 
          ALRIGHT, NEXT IS MR. CLINT PASH. 
          UH, SOME MIGHT NOTE CLINT, UM, REALLY AS, UH, THE VOICE OF THE ECONOMIC WELLBEING OF THE COMMUNITY, UH, HE SERVES IN A SENIOR ROLE AT, AT THE GREATER HOUSTON PARTNERSHIP, WHERE HE LEADS MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS. 
          UH, SO THIS IS THE GUY THAT CAN, UH, TALK BEST ABOUT HOW WE'RE DOING AS A COMMUNITY, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, HE'S ALSO CO-CHAIRING AN EFFORT, UH, CURRENTLY LAUNCHED BY GHP THAT WE'RE GONNA HEAR MORE ABOUT, UH, SPECIFICALLY FOCUSED ON RESILIENCY. 
          SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH, CLINT, FOR JOINING US. 
          AND FINALLY, UH, DR. 
          RUTH TURLEY, UH, WHO IS, UH, ARE RELATIVELY NEW, BUT I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF THAT COUNTS ANYMORE. 
          SO IT'S TWO OR THREE YEARS NOW. 
          YEAH, NOT NEW ANYMORE. 
          WHAT'S IMPORTANT IS THAT DR. 
          TURLEY LEADS, UH, THE, THE PREEMINENT AND LEADING RESEARCH INSTITUTION, UH, THAT IS, IS HELPING TO INFORM SO MUCH OF THE WORK AND OUR UNDERSTANDING OF HOUSTON, UH, THE, THE CHALLENGES THAT WE ARE EXPERIENCING, AS WELL AS PATHS OUT OF THOSE CHALLENGES, UH, AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR BUILDING A BETTER FUTURE TOGETHER. 
          SO WE'RE VERY BLESSED TO HAVE DR. 
          RUTH TURLEY JOINING US THIS MORNING. 
          ALRIGHT, SO WE'RE GONNA GO DOWN THE LINE. 
          I'M GONNA START WITH YOU, 
          [00:25:01]
UH, MR. ACHI, AND, UM, AND ASK WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW? WHY ARE WE TALKING ABOUT RESILIENCE? WHY ARE WE TALKING ABOUT MITIGATING HEAT? WHY, WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO, CHRIS? I LOVE, I LOVE THAT QUESTION. 
          UM, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT RESILIENCE, WE DO IT A LOT IN HOUSTON. 
          IN FACT, MY OPINION, WE DO IT TOO MUCH, UM, TO THE POINT THAT WE JUST TALK, BUT WE'VE GOT TO GET INTO ACTION. 
          SO ONE OF THE THINGS I WANNA LEAD OFF WITH IS I APPRECIATE COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO'S EFFORTS HERE SO MUCH BECAUSE WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT NOW IS WE'RE LOOKING AT A FRAMEWORK OF ACTION. 
          WE'RE LOOKING AT THINGS THAT WE CAN DEMONSTRABLY TAKE ON RESPONSIBILITIES THAT WE CAN IMPLEMENT, UM, WAYS THAT WE CAN IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE. 
          BECAUSE RESILIENCE IN HOUSTON, WE TEND TO, IN THE PAST HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT IT A LOT, ABOUT FLOODING ISSUES. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, I LIKE TO TALK ABOUT OUR WATER. 
          EVERY TIME WE TALK ABOUT WATER IN HOUSTON, WE ALWAYS TALK ABOUT WHERE IT'S NEVER WHERE WE WANT IT TO BE. 
          UH, IT'S IN OUR STREETS WHERE WE DON'T THINK IT SHOULD BE. 
          IT'S IN THE GUTTERS BECAUSE IT'S COMING OUT OF THE PIPES WHEN IT SHOULDN'T BE. 
          UM, WE SPEND A LOT OF TIME FOCUSING ON HOW WE CAN MANAGE WATER, BUT ALL OF OUR INFRASTRUCTURE IS SO INTERCONNECTED IN WAYS THAT FROM A RESILIENCY STANDPOINT, WE DON'T REALIZE WHAT THAT IMPACT REALLY MEANS. 
          IF WE HAD COOLER CORRIDORS, THEN PEOPLE WERE RUNNING THEIR AC LESS. 
          IF PEOPLE ARE RUNNING THEIR AC LESS AND WE HAVE COOLER CORRIDORS, WE'RE ALSO WATERING OUR LAWNS LESS. 
          IF WE'RE WATERING OUR LAWNS LESS IN THOSE A HUNDRED DEGREE DAYS, THEN THE STRAIN ON OUR WATER TREATMENT PLANTS ISN'T SO MUCH THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO NOW GO AND BUILD A NEW $4 BILLION PLANT BECAUSE WE'VE LITERALLY RUN THE LIFE OUT OF THE ONE THAT WE HAVE. 
          AND THE LIST GOES ON AND ON AND ON. 
          SO WHY ARE WE TALKING ABOUT IT? IT'S BECAUSE IT'S TIME NOW TO STOP TALKING AND TO GET INTO ACTION. 
          AND I'M JUST SO EXCITED ABOUT THAT. 
          THE REALITY IS IS, AND THIS IS SUCH A GREAT GROUP TO BE HERE, IT'S GONNA REQUIRE ALL OF US. 
          UM, IT IS A PRIVILEGE TO LEAD THE LARGEST PUBLIC WORKS AGENCY IN THE COUNTRY, BUT I CAN TELL YOU RIGHT NOW, WE CAN'T DO IT. 
          WE CAN'T DO IT BY OURSELVES. 
          IT'S JUST NOT POSSIBLE. 
          MEINE IS SUCH A GREAT EXAMPLE BECAUSE FROM A POPULATION PERSPECTIVE, IT'S VERY SIMILAR, BUT FROM A SIZE PERSPECTIVE, IT'S A FRACTION OF WHAT WE HAVE TO MANAGE FROM AN INFRASTRUCTURE PERSPECTIVE, WHICH REQUIRES US THEN TO REALIZE THAT WE'VE GOTTA ELEVATE THAT PERSPECTIVE AS WELL. 
          WE'VE GOT TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE UP OUR GAME SO THAT WE CAN DO MORE SOMETIMES WITH LESS, BECAUSE RESILIENCE IS ALSO EXPENSIVE, BUT THE PRICE IS WORTH IT BECAUSE INSTEAD OF TRYING TO CUT THE CORNERS UP FRONT AND PAY FOR IT LATER ON DOWN THE ROAD, WHICH IS REALLY WHAT WE'RE DOING TODAY, IT'S TIME FOR US TO START REALIZING THAT WISE INVESTMENT TODAY WILL PAY DIVIDENDS FOR THE FUTURE GENERATIONS AS WELL. 
          THANKS SO MUCH, RANDY. 
          ELIZABETH, I COULDN'T AGREE MORE. 
          UH, IS THIS, CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES. 
          OKAY. 
          I COULDN'T AGREE MORE WITH RANDY. 
          UM, I THINK THAT ALSO WE HAVE TO START THINKING ABOUT RESILIENCY AS A CULTURE. 
          UM, AS WE LOOK AT TRANSPORTATION, WE THINK ABOUT HOW DO WE BUILD, UH, A A BIGGER, BETTER, STRONGER TRANSPORTATION CULTURE. 
          IT ALL STARTS WITH THE THINGS THAT WE SAW HERE IN TERMS OF MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE NOT JUST THE INFRASTRUCTURE IN PLACE, BUT ALSO THE ENVIRONMENT IN PLACE. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, WHEN IT'S HOT OUTSIDE, PEOPLE DON'T WANNA BE OUTSIDE. 
          AND WHEN PEOPLE DON'T WANNA BE OUTSIDE, THEN YOU KNOW, PEOPLE ARE CRIME INCREASES. 
          THERE'S A DIRECT CONNECTION TO, UH, CRIME. 
          AND SO ALL OF IT IS INTERCONNECTED. 
          IF WE CAN WORK ON WAYS TO HAVE MORE TREES THAT LOWER THE TEMPERATURE THAT ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO GO OUTSIDE, THAT MAKE IT TO WHERE PEOPLE CAN WALK OR GET ACCESS TO TRANSPORTATION, UH, WE ALSO WORK ON PEOPLE BEING OUTSIDE, MEANING THAT PEOPLE FEEL SAFER WHEN THERE'S A CROWD. 
          THAT'S WHY PEOPLE, UH, YOU KNOW, METRO DOES REALLY WELL ON THE RAIL LINES WHEN PEOPLE ARE GOING TO EVENTS, BECAUSE THERE'S LOTS OF PEOPLE OUT THERE, THEY FEEL MORE CONFIDENT TO GET ONTO THE RAIL. 
          SO IF WE CAN GET PEOPLE OUTSIDE BECAUSE IT'S COOLER, BECAUSE THE TEMPERATURE, UH, IS BETTER, THE ENVIRONMENT'S BETTER, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S MORE WALKABLE. 
          ALL OF THOSE THINGS ARE INTERCONNECTED, WILL HELP BUILD OUR CULTURE OF BEING OUTSIDE, OF BEING A COMMUNITY WHERE PEOPLE CAN, CAN WALK AND ACCESS, UM, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT, UH, AMENITIES, WHETHER IT'S PARKS OR WHETHER IT'S TRANSPORTATION. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, ALL THOSE THINGS MATTER AND THEY'RE INTERCONNECTED, AND IT'S ALL PART OF PLANNING. 
          YOU HAVE TO HAVE A MASTER PLAN. 
          AND IN ORDER TO HAVE A MASTER PLAN, YOU HAVE TO FIX THINGS THAT ARE, THAT ARE BROKEN IMMEDIATELY. 
          AND, UH, YOU ALSO HAVE TO BE THINKING ABOUT WHERE DO YOU PUT, UM, YOUR, YOU KNOW, WE, WE TALK ABOUT TREES, WHERE DO WE PUT THE TREES, UH, WHETHER 
          [00:30:01]
THEY'RE IN THE YARDS OR WHETHER THEY'RE, UM, YOU KNOW, IN THE RIGHT OF WAY AND HAVING THE RIGHT TREES IN THE RIGHT PLACE THAT ARE GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE THE, UM, THE RIGHT IRRIGATION IN PLACE. 
          UM, MAKING SURE THAT THEY'RE NOT UNDER POWER LINES SO THEY DON'T HAVE TO BE TRIMMED LATER ON DOWN THE ROAD. 
          ALL OF THOSE THINGS MATTER. 
          AND THAT'S WHY IT'S REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT TO HAVE, UH, THOSE PLANS IN PLACE. 
          AND TO UNDERSTAND THAT WHEN WE ARE ALL WORKING TOGETHER, WE'RE ALL TAKING THOSE THINGS INTO CONSIDERATION. 
          UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE, WE HAVE AT, UH, METRO, WE'RE WORKING ON SOLVING FOR FIRST AND LAST MILE, YOU KNOW, OUR COMMUNITY CONNECTORS MAKING A HUGE DIFFERENCE, UM, IN SOME OF OUR COMMUNITIES WHERE WE CAN GET PEOPLE, UH, BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE HAVING A HARD TIME GETTING TO TRANSPORTATION. 
          AND SO IF WE CAN TAKE THEM TO, UM, YOU KNOW, FROM THEIR HOME TO THE, THE BUS SYSTEM OR TO, TO THE RAIL, THEN IT WILL HELP, YOU KNOW, ENCOURAGE THAT, UH, TRANSPORTATION. 
          BUT A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T HAVE, UH, THE ABILITY TO DO THAT. 
          AND SO, AGAIN, IF WE CAN ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO GET OUT, UM, AND IN ORDER TO DO THAT, WE HAVE TO HAVE THE RIGHT INFRASTRUCTURE IN PLACE. 
          WE HAVE TO HAVE, UM, THE RIGHT COOLING MECHANISMS. ANOTHER THING THAT WE'RE WORKING ON IS, IS OUR SHELTERS. 
          WHEN, UM, YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW YOU SEE A LOT OF THE SHELTERS THAT ARE MADE OUTTA THAT PLEXIGLASS. 
          IT'S HAVING THAT OVEN EFFECT. 
          UM, AND SO PEOPLE ARE JUST SITTING THERE BAKING, UM, YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE REDESIGN THE SHELTER SO THAT IT'S, IT'S NOT HAVING THAT BAKING EFFECT, IT'S ACTUALLY HAVING A COOLING EFFECT. 
          AND SO WE'VE BEEN TRAVELING AROUND LOOKING AT OTHER, UH, BUS SHELTERS, LIKE THE ONES THAT HAVE MESH. 
          SO THE, THE AIR BREATHES THROUGH IT. 
          AND, UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE ARE TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION WHERE THE SUN COMES IN. 
          UH, SO THAT WAY, UH, YOU'RE MAXIMIZING THE SHADE VERSUS HAVING, UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE FOUND THAT IN SOME CASES PEOPLE WILL STAND UNDERNEATH BILLBOARDS BECAUSE IT PROVIDES MAXIMUM SHADE. 
          SO HOW DO WE DESIGN OUR BUS SHELTERS IN A WAY THAT WILL GIVE THEM MAXIMUM SHADE, AND WE'RE NOT ACTUALLY DOING A DISSERVICE BY HAVING PEOPLE BAKE INSIDE THEM. 
          UM, SO JUST THINGS THAT, THAT WE'RE LEARNING IN TERMS OF URBAN DESIGN AND HOW WE CAN DO THINGS BETTER. 
          WELL, I THINK INTERCONNECTEDNESS IS THE KIND OF THE MAGIC WORD FOR THIS. 
          AND, YOU KNOW, AT THE PARTNERSHIP, WE'RE A PLACE WHERE BUSINESS AND CIVIC LEADERS COME TOGETHER TO SOLVE PROBLEMS. THAT'S HOW WE DESCRIBE OUR WORK. 
          AND IN RESILIENCE, UH, WE'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT THIS FOR A LONG TIME, BUT IT LAUNCHED AN INITIATIVE IN JANUARY. 
          IT'S REALLY FOCUSED ON THE CRITICAL SYSTEMS THAT MAKE LIFE NORMAL. 
          AND IN THAT WE THINK, YOU KNOW, POWER COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS, TRANSPORTATION, HEALTHCARE, AND FLOOD CONTROL. 
          AND, AND A LOT OF THOSE, UH, SECTORS OR THOSE AREAS SIT AT THAT CROSS SECTION BETWEEN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE ENTITIES. 
          SO HOW CAN WE BRING FOLKS TO A COLLECTIVE TABLE TO TALK ABOUT THOSE, TO TALK ABOUT SOLVING THOSE CHALLENGES? AND, YOU KNOW, I, I I THINK IT'S, UM, YOU KNOW, IT THAT, AND SO BY FOCUSING ON THOSE THINGS, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE EXAMPLES, UM, I'M THINKING ABOUT METRO, THAT THAT HAS COME UP IN THIS WORK JUST BY BRINGING FOLKS TOGETHER. 
          UM, WE WERE HEARING FROM OUR HOSPITALS, THIS IS JUST A KIND OF A MICRO EXAMPLE. 
          WE WERE HEARING FROM OUR HOSPITALS THAT, YOU KNOW, DURING A CRISIS, UM, OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS, THE MAYOR AND THE COUNTY JUDGE WILL SAY, YOU KNOW, YOU SHOULD STAY OFF THE STREETS. 
          LIKE, GIVE, GIVE ROOM FOR OUR FIRST RESPONDERS. 
          WELL, SOMETIMES OUR NURSES AND OUR OTHER CRITICAL CARE WORKERS HEAR THAT MESSAGE AND THEY'RE LIKE, WELL, WAIT A MINUTE. 
          DOES THAT MEAN ME? LIKE, SHOULD I GET OUT ON THE ROAD OR NOT? AND SO, YOU KNOW, THAT, THAT CREATES SOME CHALLENGES. 
          THE OTHER THING WE HEARD FROM HOSPITALS WAS, YOU KNOW, METRO CLOSES FOR THE SAFETY OF THE DRIVERS AND, AND TO KEEP THE BUSES OFF THE ROADS. 
          WELL, OUR, A LOT OF OUR HEALTHCARE WORKERS IN THE TEXAS MEDICAL CENTER USE THOSE PARK AND RIDES TO GET TO TMC. 
          AND SO ELIZABETH RAISED HER HAND AND SAID, WELL, HEY, WE CAN HELP WITH THAT. 
          AND SO, BY BRINGING FOLKS LIKE METRO AND, AND METHODIST AND MEMORIAL HERMAN TOGETHER TO TALK ABOUT THOSE CHALLENGES AND VOICING THOSE CONCERNS, THAT'S HOW WE START SOLVING, SOLVING ISSUES. 
          AND SO, I'M REALLY EXCITED TO BE HERE, AND THIS IS A WONDERFUL INITIATIVE COUNCIL MEMBER, DR. 
          TRU. 
          SO I JUST WANNA ADD TWO THINGS. 
          OF COURSE, I'M A RESEARCHER, SO I WANNA, UH, SAY THAT THIS IS FANTASTIC THAT, UM, ANYONE CONGRATULATE COUNCIL MEMBER BUR CASTILLO FOR TAKING ON SUCH AN INITIATIVE BECAUSE WE KNOW THROUGH RESEARCH THAT THIS IS REALLY NEEDED. 
          UM, AND, AND, AND SO WE NEED, WE NEED TO GET INTO ACTION BECAUSE WE'RE PAST DUE. 
          THIS IS ABSOLUTELY NEEDED. 
          UM, BUT I WANNA HIGHLIGHT TWO THINGS THAT WE'VE LEARNED THROUGH RESEARCH, UM, ABOUT WHY THIS IS NEEDED AND THEN HOW WE SHOULD GO ABOUT DOING THIS AS WE MOVE FORWARD. 
          THE FIRST THING IS THAT, UM, EARLIER, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO SHOWED A HEAT MAP. 
          AND I, I JUST WANNA HIGHLIGHT ONE THING ABOUT HEAT MAPS. 
          WE'VE BEEN FOLLOWING THESE, UH, SURFACE TEMPERATURES. 
          THEY VARY A LOT ACROSS OUR REGION. 
          UM, IN SOME CASES, AS MUCH AS LIKE 10 DEGREES, THAT'S 
          [00:35:01]
A HUGE DIFFERENCE. 
          YOU WOULD FEEL THAT DIFFERENCE. 
          AND WHAT I WANNA POINT OUT THOUGH, IS THAT, AND I THINK YOU ALLUDED TO THIS, BUT EARLIER, BUT I WANNA REALLY STRESS THIS, I WANNA UNDERSCORE THIS. 
          THERE ARE INEQUITIES IN HOW WHO HAS ACCESS TO THESE RESOURCES OF SHADE TREES AND SO FORTH. 
          THERE ARE INEQUITIES AND JUST LIKE SO MANY OTHER RESOURCES, THE WAY THAT THEY ARE DISTRIBUTED, THEY'RE DISTRIBUTED BY INCOME, WEALTH, ET CETERA. 
          WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT AS WE MOVE FORWARD TO AND MAKE THIS HUGE INVESTMENT, RIGHT, TO PROVIDE MORE TREE CANOPY AND WEATHERIZATION AND ALL OF THESE THINGS, YOU, YOU'LL SEE THAT THESE EFFORTS ARE ACTUALLY MAKING SURE THAT THE PEOPLE WHO NEED THEM MOST ACTUALLY HAVE ACCESS TO THEM. 
          AND WE AT THE KINDER INSTITUTE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE DOING THE RESEARCH THAT MONITORS OUR PROGRESS, NOT ONLY IN HOW WE'RE DOING IN, IN, IN THESE, UH, UH, ADVANCEMENTS, BUT HOW WE'RE DOING IN TERMS OF THE INEQUITIES THAT WE HAVE OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN. 
          WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE ADDRESS THAT AND DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY. 
          SO THAT'S THE FIRST THING I WANNA MENTION. 
          THE INEQUITIES. 
          WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE DO THIS IN AN EQUITABLE MANNER. 
          UM, AND I KNOW THAT, I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT THAT IS, THAT IS DEFINITELY TOP OF MIND. 
          AND THE SECOND THING I WANNA STRESS IS, OF COURSE, THIS COSTS MONEY. 
           A LOT OF MONEY, RIGHT? THIS IS AN INVESTMENT, BUT I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THAT THERE'S A BIG ROI ON THIS, THE RETURN ON THE INVESTMENT IS HUGE. 
          AND I JUST WANNA SHARE ONE ESTIMATE, UM, DOLLAR ESTIMATE. 
          OF COURSE, WE, I'M USING DOLLARS JUST BECAUSE WE CAN QUANTIFY IT MORE EASILY, BUT OF COURSE, I DON'T WANNA BRUSH OVER THE MANY, MANY HEALTH BENEFITS, MENTAL HEALTH BENEFITS AND ET CETERA. 
          I MEAN, JUST GOES ON AND ON. 
          BUT, UH, IN TERMS OF DOLLAR AMOUNTS, UM, THE US FOREST SERVICE ESTIMATED THAT HOUSTON'S URBAN FOREST REDUCES RESIDENTIAL ENERGY COSTS BY $53.9 MILLION AND RUNOFF BY $7.8 MILLION. 
          AND THE OVERALL ESTIMATED COMPENSATORY VALUE OF HOUSTON'S TREES WAS ESTIMATED AT $16.3 BILLION. 
          AND THAT'S LIKE, THAT'S THE, OUR CURRENT URBAN FOREST THAT WE KNOW WE NEED MORE OF, THAT WE NEED TO, TO DO MORE. 
          'CAUSE WE'VE, WE'VE BEEN MONITORING THE CHANGES OVER TIME, AND WE'VE SEEN THAT OVER THE PAST 10 YEARS, OUR TREE CANOPY HAS REDUCED BY ABOUT 10%, RIGHT? SO IF THIS IS A, IF THIS IS AN INVESTMENT, IT'S GONNA COST US SOME MONEY RIGHT NOW, BUT THE RETURN IS GOING TO BE ENORMOUS. 
          SO IF, IF I'M HEARING YOU CORRECTLY, YOU'RE SAYING THAT MONEY LITERALLY COULD GROW ON TREES? YES. 
          OKAY. 
          OH, THAT'S PERFECT. 
          THAT'S A GOOD MODERATOR RIGHT THERE. 
          , . 
          I DON'T KNOW. 
          WHY DO YOU THINK OF THAT? ? ALRIGHT. 
          UH, SO WE, WE HEARD A LOT OF GREAT PERSPECTIVES THERE. 
          UM, AND, AND, AND I THINK TO RANDY'S POINT, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE I'M SHARING. 
          YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT STOPPING AT MAIN STREET IN DOWNTOWN. 
          SO WE ARE ALREADY IN THE PLANNING PROCESS, UH, FOR THREE ADDITIONAL COOL CORRIDORS, UM, EAST WEST ROUTES, UH, ALONG PRESTON, MCKINNEY, AND TEXAS. 
          UM, AND WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO DEBUTING THE FIRST OF THOSE IMPROVEMENTS IN TIME FOR THE WORLD CUP AGAIN NEXT YEAR. 
          SO, UH, LOT OF MOMENTUM ON THIS. 
          UM, AND WE ALSO HOPE THAT THIS IS NOT A DOWNTOWN THING. 
          WE REALLY WANT THIS TO SCALE CITYWIDE. 
          UH, AND WE WANT TO CONTINUE LEARNING FROM EACH OTHER TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WE CAN DO, UH, TOGETHER. 
          UM, NOW CERTAINLY CITIES ARE NOT BUILT, UM, IN A VACUUM OR BY ANY ONE AGENCY. 
          IT REQUIRES INTENSE COLLABORATION AND VISION. 
          UH, AND SO I WANNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT PARTNERSHIP. 
          UM, AND IMPORTANTLY WHAT I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU ALL, BECAUSE YOU REPRESENT SUCH DIFFERENT AGENCIES AND PERSPECTIVES AND CONSTITUENCIES, WHAT DO YOU NEED FROM THE OTHERS, RIGHT? HOW DO WE DO THIS TOGETHER? HOW DO WE MAKE THESE SMALL CHANGES, LARGE CHANGES? HOW DO WE DO THIS TOGETHER? AND HOW COULD YOU BE BETTER SUPPORTED BY YOUR PARTNER AGENCIES AND OTHERS DOING THIS WORK IN THE CITY? RANDY, I GOTTA GO FIRST AGAIN. 
          . 
          WE CAN START WITH CLINT. 
          DO YOU WANT ME GO? I HAVE, SURE. 
          OKAY. 
          SO ONE OF THE THINGS I WAS THINKING ABOUT, IT WAS ACTUALLY JUST A VERY PRACTICAL THING, AND RANDY ALLUDED TO THIS A SECOND AGO, IS THESE TREES ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO RESILIENT H AND WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO, BUT IT'S ALSO BRINGING IN CENTER POINT. 
          'CAUSE AS WE LEARNED, UH, DURING BARREL, WHICH WAS A WIND EVENT, YOU KNOW, THE TREE CANOPY, WHILE IT'S IMPORTANT WHERE WHEN IT'S IN, IN THE WRONG PLACE OR IT'S THE WRONG TYPE OF TREE FOR THAT LOCATION, THAT CAN IMPACT OUR POWER GRID. 
          AND SO, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, CENTER POINT HAS DONE A GREAT JOB, I WOULD SAY SINCE BARREL OF A LOT OF VEGETATION MANAGEMENT, I THINK IS THE, THE INDUSTRY TERM. 
          UM, BUT THEY, THEY ONLY CONTROL THAT AERIAL EASEMENT AND THEY CAN TRIM THAT BACK. 
          BUT WE HAVE A LOT OF, A LOT OF TREES THAT, YOU KNOW, EXPAND WELL PAST THAT AERIAL EASEMENT THAT IF THEY WERE TO FAIL AND FALL ON THAT LINE, YOU KNOW, A TREE ON A LINE IS, IS, IS JUST AS BAD AS A BRANCH HITTING IT AND CUTTING IT. 
          AND SO, YOU KNOW, AS I, YOU KNOW, I'D ENCOURAGE THE COUNCIL MEMBER AND, AND AS THE CITY'S WORKING THROUGH THIS, BRING IN CENTERPOINT, BRING IN THE ARBORIST TO FIGURE OUT THE RIGHT TYPES OF TREES, THE RIGHT LOCATIONS. 
          [00:40:01]
UM, SO NOT ONLY DO WE HAVE A GREAT TREE CANOPY THAT LOOKS GREAT AND DOESN'T GET CARVED OUT BY A CENTERPOINT, WHICH SOMETIMES THEY HAVE TO DO, UM, BUT IT CREATES OUR POWER OR ENSURES THAT OUR POWER GRID REMAINS RESILIENT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ELIZABETH, WOULD YOU LIKE TO GO NEXT? WELL, I, I AGREE. 
          WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT COLLABORATION, UM, I THINK WE REALLY HAVE, UM, A LEVEL OF UNPRECEDENTED COLLABORATION. 
          I MEAN, WE HAVE, WE WORK SO WELL WITH OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS, WE WORK WELL WITH, UH, PUBLIC WORKS WITH, UH, THE GREATER HOUSTON PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR, UM, YOU KNOW, THE MEDICAL CENTER. 
          UH, WE WORK WELL WITH, UM, OUR COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AND, YOU KNOW, BEING ABLE TO, UM, WORK TOGETHER, BEING ABLE TO PICK UP THE PHONE WHENEVER WE HAVE ANY ISSUES. 
          UH, WE HAVE OUR SENATOR CAROL ALVARADO, YOU KNOW, WE CAN JUST PICK UP THE PHONE AND, AND CONTACT EACH OTHER WHEN WE HAVE ISSUES. 
          UH, IN ORDER TO, TO KEEP THINGS MOVING, IN ORDER TO BUILD THE CITY THAT WE WANT FOR THE FUTURE, WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO, TO ACT QUICKLY AND OUR, OUR ROAD, OUR OUR, UM, INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS ARE INCREASING, OUR POPULATIONS INCREASING, OUR DEMANDS ARE INCREASING, BUT ALSO OUR EXPECTATIONS, WHAT WE'D LIKE OUR CITY TO LOOK LIKE. 
          UM, IF YOU LOOK AT WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH, UM, THE RENOVATIONS OF THE GEORGE R. BROWN, THE, UH, I 45 EXPANSION, WHAT'S HAPPENING ALONG I 10, UH, DOWNTOWN, UH, IMPROVEMENTS, ALL OF THAT REQUIRES A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF COORDINATION. 
          WHETHER IT'S, UM, DEALING WITH YOUR ELECTRICAL, UH, INFRASTRUCTURE, DEALING WITH YOUR RIGHT OF WAY, PLANNING FOR WITH THE TREES, PARKS, ALL OF THAT, UH, REQUIRES A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF PLANNING. 
          BUT ALSO, IF WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO, UH, MEET EXPECTATIONS AND TIMELINES, UM, WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO DO IT IN A COLLABORATIVE, UH, FASHION SO THAT WAY WE CAN, UM, REALIZE WHEN WE HAVE ISSUES AND RESOLVE THEM RIGHT AWAY. 
          SO THAT WAY WE CAN CONTINUE WORKING. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH, RANDY OR DR. 
          CHARLIE, WOULD YOU LIKE TO ANSWER? I I'LL JUST MENTION THAT AT THE KINDER INSTITUTE, OUR RESEARCH AGENDA IS DIRECTLY INFORMED BY THE COMMUNITY. 
          SO AS WE TAKE ON EFFORTS LIKE THIS, UM, IF ANY OF YOU THINK OF SPECIFIC QUESTIONS THAT YOU NEED ANSWERS TO IN ORDER TO BETTER SERVE THE COMMUNITY, IN ORDER TO MONITOR PROGRESS OF EFFORTS LIKE THIS, THAT'S, THAT'S WHERE WE WOULD LOVE TO HELP. 
          BECAUSE OUR RESEARCH AGENDA IS DIRECTLY INFORMED BY THE COMMUNITY. 
          AND I WOULD LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT ONE SPECIFIC RESEARCH TOOL THAT SOME OF Y'ALL ARE VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE KINDER HOUSTON AREA SURVEY THAT'S BEEN GOING ON FOR 45 YEARS NOW, AND WE'RE IN OUR 45TH YEAR THAT WE DO THAT AT THE, IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF EVERY YEAR. 
          BUT THEN IN SUBSEQUENT QUARTERS, 'CAUSE WE NOW DO QUARTERLY SURVEYS, WE DO SPECIAL TOPIC SURVEYS. 
          SO IF WE NEED TO A ASK A SPECIFIC SET OF QUESTIONS FROM OUR COMMUNITY, FROM A REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE OF OUR COMMUNITY, LET US KNOW. 
          BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE, UH, WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO SERVE, UH, YOU ALL IN, IN THESE, UH, AMAZING PROJECTS. 
          AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THESE PROJECTS ARE GOING WELL AS WE, WE NEED TO MONITOR THEM AS WE MOVE ALONG AND BE WILLING TO MAKE ADJUSTMENTS AS WE MOVE ALONG. 
          'CAUSE WE'RE NOT GOING TO GET IT JUST PERFECT THE FIRST TRY. 
          YEAH, WE DO. 
          THERE'S A REASON WHY I DON'T WANNA GO FIRST, AND I'LL TELL YOU IN A SECOND, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, LIKE WE'VE DISCUSSED HERE, COLLABORATION CAN'T BE UNDERSTATED AND COLLABORATION LOOKS DIFFERENT IN DIFFERENT FORMATS AND IN DIFFERENT FORUMS, RIGHT? I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO KEEP THAT IN MIND AS WELL. 
          COLLABORATION CAN TAKE ON A VERY DIFFERENT PERSONA DEPENDING ON WHAT THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES ARE. 
          BUT WHEN, LEMME TELL YOU A STORY. 
          WHEN I FIRST JOINED THE CITY A COUPLE YEARS AGO, I HAD A DEPUTY DIRECTOR THAT, UH, REPORTED TO ME AND I'VE RECEIVED A COMPLAINT FROM A COUNCIL DISTRICT MEMBER WHO SAID THERE WAS A PARTICULAR PROJECT AND THERE WAS SOME VERY DIRECT AND SPECIFIC FEEDBACK FROM THE FOLKS IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD THAT IT WAS IMPACTING. 
          AND I WENT TO THE DEPUTY AND I SAID, WHAT ARE, WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO ABOUT THIS? AND THE RESPONSE WAS SHOCKING TO ME. 
          IT WAS, THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY WANT. 
          AND, UH, I THINK THAT'S A LITTLE BIT WHY FOLKS DON'T TRUST GOVERNMENT IN THE FIRST PLACE BECAUSE SOMETIMES, UH, WE TAKE ON, AND I SAY WE, I MEAN THE GOVERNMENT, RIGHT? I WORK FOR THE GOVERNMENT, UH, WE KIND OF TAKE ON THE MANTLE OF WE KNOW WHAT YOU WANT AND WE KNOW BEST HOW TO DELIVER IT TO YOU, AND WE'RE NOT REALLY GONNA TAKE THE TIME TO LISTEN AND, AND TAKE YOUR FEEDBACK INTO ACCOUNT. 
          COLLABORATION REQUIRES US TO TAKE A STEP BACK FROM THAT ROLE SOMETIMES AND FROM NECESSARILY BEING THE AGGRESSOR, RIGHT? WE CAN BE THE CHAMPION, WHICH I THINK IS WHAT RESILIENT H 
          [00:45:01]
IS ALL ABOUT. 
          IT'S ABOUT BEING THE CHAMPION HERE FOR MAKING OUR COMMUNITY STRONGER AND MORE RESILIENT. 
          BUT I THINK IT'S GONNA TAKE A LOT OF DIRECTED FEEDBACK FROM THE FOLKS THAT WILL BE IMPACTED BY ANY PARTICULAR PROJECT THAT WE UNDERTAKE THAT INCLUDES NOT JUST WHAT THE PROJECT LOOKS LIKE, BUT THIS IS WHY I DIDN'T WANNA GO FIRST, HOW MUCH IT'S GONNA COST. 
          UM, WE HAVE TO ALSO TAKE INTO THE DISCUSSION THAT IT'S GONNA COST US SOME STUFF, AND THAT MEANS THAT WE HAVE TO ALSO EVALUATE WHAT OUR PRIORITIES ARE GONNA BE. 
          YOU KNOW, CLINT BROUGHT UP TALKING ABOUT THE TREES AND CENTER POINT. 
          AND I REMEMBER LOOKING HERE AT 43RD STREET, AND I'M TELLING YOU, THIS IS MY PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR'S HAT. 
          EVERY TIME I SEE A PROJECT, THE FIRST THING I THINK OF, OH MY GOSH, THAT'S GONNA COST SO MUCH MONEY. 
          UM, BECAUSE WE GOTTA WONDER, WELL, WHERE'S THAT GONNA COME FROM AND HOW ARE WE GONNA DO IT, RIGHT? IF WE WANNA PUT BIG TREES DOWN 43RD STREET, THEN WE'VE GOTTA CLOSE IN THOSE DITCHES THAT WE SAW THAT WERE OPEN. 
          WE GOTTA PUT SOME CURB AND GUTTER. 
          WE'VE ALSO GOTTA FIGURE OUT WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO WITH ALL THOSE POWER LINES. 
          I MEAN, THERE'S A WHOLE LOT OF COLLABORATION THAT'S GOTTA TAKE PLACE HERE. 
          BUT AGAIN, THIS GOES TO THE POINT THAT I MADE INITIALLY. 
          THE TIME TO ACT IS NOW THOUGH. 
          SO WE CAN COLLABORATE, WE CAN COMMUNICATE AND WE CAN TALK, BUT THAT TALK HAS GOTTA LEAD TO A PLAN OF ACTION. 
          SOMETHING THAT WE ARE GOING TO COMMIT TO DOING AND UNDERTAKING RIGHT AWAY. 
          I CAN TELL YOU RIGHT NOW, HOUSTON'S PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT, THERE'S NO BETTER PLACE IN THE COUNTRY TO LEAD RESILIENCY EFFORTS THAN RIGHT HERE. 
          WE'VE BEEN DOING IT AND WE'VE TRIED SO MANY THINGS AND WE PILOT AS MANY THINGS AS WE POSSIBLY CAN. 
          SOME OF THAT IS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT IMPACT'S GONNA LOOK LIKE COLLABORATIVELY, WHAT'S THE COST GONNA BE? WHAT CAN WE AFFORD, WHAT CAN WE IMPLEMENT, WHAT REALLY WORKS HERE IN HOUSTON? BECAUSE WHAT WORKS IN OTHER PLACES DOESN'T ALWAYS WORK IN HOUSTON. 
          AND SOMETIMES WHAT DOESN'T WORK IN OTHER PLACES WILL WORK BETTER IN HOUSTON. 
          SO WE'VE GOTTA HAVE THAT KIND OF OPEN-MINDEDNESS AND WE'VE GOT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE TALKING TO EACH OTHER ALL ALONG THE WAY. 
          EXCELLENT. 
          THANK YOU ALL FOR THIS. 
          I KNOW YOU WANTED TO GO LAST, BUT I GOTTA PIGGYBACK ON WHAT YOU JUST SAID,  IS, YOU KNOW, NOT ONLY IS DO WE HAVE TO HAVE COLLABORATION, BUT WE ALSO HAVE TO HAVE, GIVE AND TAKE. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE COMPROMISE, SOME COMPROMISE BECAUSE OTHERWISE WE HAVE ANALYSIS PARALYSIS AND WE DON'T GET TO THE ACTION PIECE. 
          UM, AND I WANNA GIVE AN EXAMPLE OF THAT. 
          YOU KNOW, WE ARE LOOKING AT, UM, YOU KNOW, UNDERPASS VERSUS OVERPASS, UH RIGHT? FOR, UM, RAILROAD CROSSINGS. 
          AND THE REALITY IS, UM, WE WOULD RATHER GO UNDER, BUT THERE ARE SOME ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AROUND THAT. 
          THERE'S ALSO FUNDING. 
          IT COSTS LIKE THREE TIMES AS MUCH. 
          AND SO, UM, UH, THE STATE HAS SAID THAT THEY WON'T FUND UNDERPASSES, THE ONLY FUND OVERPASSES. 
          SO WE, WE FIND OURSELVES AT A, UH, DO WE, DO WE LOOK FOR A LOCATION WHERE IT'S ACCEPTABLE TO PUT THE OVERPASS? UM, OR DO WE NOT EVER BUILD ONE AND DO WE FIND OURSELVES TALKING ABOUT THIS ISSUE, YOU KNOW, 10, 20, 30 YEARS FROM NOW? SO, UM, IN ORDER FOR US TO GET TO ACTION, WE ALSO NOT ONLY NEED, UH, COLLABORATION, BUT WE ALSO NEED SOME COMPROMISE. 
          YEAH. 
          AND CERTAINLY I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO ALSO UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, THAT OFTENTIMES WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT WE WANT OR THAT WE, WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT IS POSSIBLE. 
          AND I'M, I'M GLAD THAT THE COUNCIL MEMBER LIFTED UP THE EXPERIENCE IN MEDELLIN TO SEE A COMMUNITY THAT COMMITTED TO TRANSFORMING ITSELF, RIGHT? AND THERE'S PROBABLY A LOT OF HOUSTONIANS THAT COULDN'T IMAGINE A DIFFERENT HOUSTON, RIGHT? AND I THINK THERE'S ALSO, IT'S INCUMBENT UPON US TO, TO TEACH AND TO SHARE AND TO, SO THAT WE CAN MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS WHERE WE UNDERSTAND THOSE TRADE-OFFS. 
          UH, LAST QUESTION FOR YOU ALL, UH, JUST BECAUSE WE ARE A LITTLE SHORT ON TIME, UM, WE'D LOVE TO HEAR ABOUT JUST SORT OF A KEY MESSAGE FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE THAT YOU HOPE THE FOLKS IN THE ROOM TODAY CAN WALK OUT WITH AND THEN SOMETHING THAT THEY CAN DO, RIGHT? WHAT IS ONE SMALL THING THAT EVERYBODY IN THIS ROOM CAN DO TO BE ABLE TO ADVANCE THIS INITIATIVE? WHO'D LIKE TO GO FIRST? I'LL GO FIRST. 
          ALRIGHT. 
          HE'S BRAVE. 
          THERE HE IS. 
          IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING. 
          YOU KNOW, IT WAS REALLY INTERESTING. 
          I TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY TO WALK OVER HERE TODAY FROM, FROM MY OFFICE OVER, UH, ACROSS FROM CITY HALL. 
          UM, AND AS I WALKED, I WAS TAKING A LOT OF PICTURES. 
          I WAS MAKING QUITE A FEW PHONE CALLS, I PICKED UP SOME TRASH. 
          UM, I THINK THAT'S A BIG PART OF WHERE WE'RE AT RIGHT NOW, IS WE REALLY ARE AT A LITTLE BIT OF AN INFLECTION POINT. 
          AGAIN, LET'S STOP TALKING ABOUT IT. 
          LET'S DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. 
          SOMETIMES THOSE LITTLE ACTIONS ARE GONNA LEAD TO MUCH GREATER RESULTS DOWN THE ROAD BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT STARTS THE MOVEMENT, RIGHT? SOMEONE GETTING INTO ACTION IS WHAT'S GOING TO GET THE MOVEMENT GOING. 
          SO IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING. 
          AND WHAT DO I MEAN BY THAT? LISTEN, CALL ME . 
          UM, ALMOST SO MANY OF YOU, I CAN'T SEE EVERYONE BECAUSE THIS LIGHT'S RIGHT IN MY EYES. 
          BUT SO MANY OF YOU I KNOW, AND I KNOW YOU HAVE MY PHONE NUMBER, RIGHT? AND IF YOU SEE SOMETHING AND YOU HAVE AN IDEA AND YOU SEE SOMETHING THAT'S NOT WORKING WELL, CALL ME. 
          LET'S TALK ABOUT IT. 
          CALL YOUR COUNCIL MEMBERS. 
          THEY'LL 
          [00:50:01]
LOVE TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT IT. 
          CALL THE MAYOR. 
          I KNOW EVERYONE IN THE, IN THE CITY HAS HIS PHONE NUMBER, . 
          SO, SO, SO CALL HIM. 
          LET'S TALK ABOUT IT SO THAT WE CAN FIGURE OUT WHAT IT IS WE NEED TO DO. 
          I, I AM SO INTERESTED IN A PLAN OF ACTION, BUT THE ONLY WAY WE'RE GONNA GET THERE IS KNOWING WHAT IT IS WE WANT TO DO IN THE FIRST PLACE. 
          ELIZABETH? UH, I, I COULDN'T AGREE MORE. 
          UH, I THINK MY TAKEAWAY IS WE'RE ALL ON THE SAME TEAM. 
          WE'RE ALL HOUSTONIANS. 
          UH, YOU KNOW, ONE THING THAT A NATURAL DISASTER DOES DO IS BRING US ALL TOGETHER. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, WHENEVER A, UH, NATURAL DISASTER OCCURS, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T, UH, TURN AGAINST EACH OTHER. 
          WE ALL WORK TOGETHER. 
          WE, WE, YOU KNOW, COOK FOOD FOR EACH OTHER. 
          WE TAKE WATER TO EACH OTHER. 
          UH, WE HELP EACH OTHER AND WE HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT WE ALL, ALL ON THE SAME TEAM. 
          WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE A BETTER HOUSTON. 
          AND EVERYBODY IN THIS ROOM, UM, YOU KNOW, THE MAYOR LIKES TO SAY EVERYBODY'S A PUBLIC SERVANT. 
          EVERYBODY'S TRYING TO IMPROVE, UM, YOU KNOW, TAKING TIME OUT OF THEIR DAY. 
          UH, I, I TYPICALLY AT ONE OF OUR BOARD MEETINGS WILL HAVE ANYWHERE FROM 20 TO 30 PEOPLE. 
          AND I ALWAYS THANK PEOPLE BECAUSE I ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THEY TAKE TIME OUT OF THEIR DAY TO BE THERE. 
          AND THAT'S IMPORTANT. 
          AND PARTICULARLY WHENEVER IT'S A SINGLE MOM OR IT'S SOMEBODY WHO, UM, HAD TO TAKE A VACATION DAY FROM WORK, THAT'S IMPORTANT. 
          AND IT'S IMPORTANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THEM. 
          IT'S IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE THAT THEY'RE THERE. 
          AND, UM, YOU KNOW, OFTENTIMES I FEEL BAD BECAUSE THEY'RE TALKING FOR THREE MINUTES AND I'M LIKE, LOOK, CAN WE SCHEDULE A MEETING, UH, TO TALK ABOUT THIS MORE IN DEPTH? BECAUSE A LOT OF OUR, UH, ISSUES ARE MORE COMPLICATED THAN, THAN YOU CAN PORTRAY IN, IN THREE MINUTES. 
          BUT, UM, JUST TO REMEMBER THAT WE ARE ALL ON THE SAME TEAM AND TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH A BETTER HOUSTON. 
          SO YEAH, I APPRECIATE YOUR ANSWER, RANDY. 
          I THINK IT'S, UH, SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING AND THEN DO SOMETHING. 
          UM, AND, YOU KNOW, HOUSTON'S AT OUR BEST WHEN WE WORK TOGETHER AND, AND WE SEE THAT EVERY DAY AT THE PARTNERSHIP, WHETHER IT'S PRIVATE SECTOR, PUBLIC SECTOR, UM, AND OUR SOCIAL SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS, IT'S COMING TOGETHER TO SOLVE THOSE CHALLENGES. 
          AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, I I WOULD SAY ONE OF THE THINGS WE'VE LEARNED IN THIS SPACE IS OUR, UM, OUR PUBLIC SECTOR, OUR GOVERNMENT SECTOR, AND FOLKS LIKE RANDY AND OUR EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, WE JUST HAVE AN EXTREMELY COMPETENT, UH, PASSIONATE GROUP OF FOLKS THAT ARE PROFESSIONAL. 
          UM, AND THEY'RE RESILIENCE MINDED. 
          AND SO WHEN WE COME TO THE TABLE, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT JUST, IT'S NOT JUST COMPLAINING AND SAYING, HEY, WE'RE HAVING THIS ISSUE WITH THIS. 
          IT'S, IT'S ALSO BRINGING A SOLUTION. 
          AND SO GET FOR FOLKS THAT ARE A PLACE OF PRIVILEGE, THAT HAVE ACCESS TO THE TABLES WHERE THESE CONVERSATIONS ARE HAPPENING, YOU KNOW, BRING SOLUTIONS TO THOSE TABLES AND LET'S KNOCK THIS THING OUT AND BE THE MOST RESILIENT COASTAL CITY IN THE WORLD. 
          WELL, I'LL JUST ADD FROM A RESEARCH STANDPOINT EARLIER I SAID IF Y'ALL HAVE ANY RESEARCH QUESTIONS, LET US KNOW. 
          AND THEN THE OTHER SIDE OF THAT COIN IS WHEN WE SHARE OUT, UH, UH, THE, OUR RESEARCH BRIEFS AND, AND, AND, AND REPORTS, PLEASE USE THEM, MAKE USE OF THEM. 
          OR IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO COULD USE THAT INFORMATION, SHARE THAT WITH THEM. 
          BECAUSE THAT'S THE WHOLE REASON WE DO THIS RESEARCH. 
          WE DO IT SO THAT IT IS USED BY THE COMMUNITY. 
          ABSOLUTELY. 
          IT'S SO IMPORTANT TO PUT THAT RESEARCH INTO ACTION. 
          UH, THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR RESPONSES. 
          THANK YOU ALL FOR SHARING YOUR TIME, YOUR EXPERTISE, UH, YOUR PASSION FOR THIS SPACE. 
          AND LET'S GIVE THEM A ROUND OF APPLAUSE. 
          ALRIGHT, AND COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO IS GOING TO CONCLUDE US THIS MORNING. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER, THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH, CHRIS FOR MODERATING. 
          THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED ON THE PANEL FOR YOUR COMMENTS AND YOUR INSIGHTS. 
          NOW, WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? SO WE'VE HEARD ABOUT THE PROBLEM, WE'VE HEARD FROM DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES, WHAT WE'RE DEALING WITH. 
          THE RESPONSE IS WHAT COMES NEXT? SO IT'S GONNA BE COMMUNITY FOCUSED, IT'S GOING TO BE NEIGHBORHOOD LEVEL DRIVEN, AND IT WILL FOCUS ON COOLING AND BUILDING A MORE RESILIENT DISTRICT H. 
          SO YOU'LL SEE, UM, A MONTH FROM TODAY, NOVEMBER 15TH AND NOVEMBER 16TH, WE WILL HOST OUR FIRST NEIGHBORHOOD RESILIENCY EVENT. 
          AND THIS WILL BE BRINGING TREES, BRINGING RAIN BARRELS, BRINGING THE WEATHERIZATION TO A NEIGHBORHOOD IN DISTRICT H. 
          UM, THIS IS GOING TO COINCIDE WITH THE TREE PLANTING WINDOW. 
          UH, SO WE'RE GONNA DO ANOTHER ONE IN FEBRUARY AND EVERY YEAR WE WILL DO TWO NEIGHBORHOODS THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT, BRINGING THESE THINGS TO THE COMMUNITY AND REALLY TRYING TO MOVE THE NEEDLE ON RESILIENCY AT A NEIGHBORHOOD LEVEL. 
          OUR FIRST NEIGHBORHOOD WILL BE THE NEAR NORTH SIDE. 
          SO, ALRIGHT, WE'VE GOT SOME CLAPS FOR THAT . 
          [00:55:02]
AND THE BIG HAIRY AUDACIOUS GOAL IS 500 TREES PLANTED IN THE NEAR NORTH SIDE IN NOVEMBER. 
          AND WE'RE NOT TALKING FIVE GALLON TREES, ALTHOUGH THEY'RE, THEY'RE GOOD. 
          WE'LL TAKE 'EM. 
          UH, BUT WE'RE TALKING 15 GALLON TREES. 
          TREES THAT ARE MORE DURABLE, TREES THAT ARE, OH, AM I GETTING PLAYED OFF? DID I TELL YOU? , UH, TREES THAT ARE MORE DURABLE TREES THAT WILL MAKE AN IMPACT QUICKER. 
          UM, AND THESE ARE, AGAIN, TREES THAT PEOPLE SIGN UP AND SAY, I WANT A TREE IN MY YARD. 
          UM, THAT'S GONNA TAKE SOME HELP, RIGHT? BECAUSE WE'RE DEALING WITH FOLKS THAT MAY BE A LITTLE OLDER, MAYBE A LITTLE PHYSICALLY LIMITED. 
          SO IT'S GONNA TAKE VOLUNTEERS, IT'S GONNA TAKE SOME LOGISTICS. 
          UM, WE'VE GRACIOUSLY AND WE WILL HIGHLIGHT ALL OF OUR PARTNERS, WHAT WE'VE GRACIOUSLY HAD PARTNERS WHO HAVE, HAVE SPONSORED TREES TO, TO HELP MAKE THIS A REALITY. 
          RAIN BARRELS AS WELL. 
          UM, AND, UH, OUR LABOR FRIENDS ARE GONNA BE OUT THERE WITH, UH, HELPING ON THE WEATHERIZATION. 
          OUR FIRST CORRIDOR OUTSIDE OF DOWNTOWN WILL BE CAVALCADE, OUR FIRST COOL CORRIDOR. 
          AND THIS WILL BE IN PARTNERSHIP, UH, WITH OUR MANAGEMENT DISTRICT WITH OUR NEAR NORTH SIDE TOURS. 
          AND THIS WILL BE A STUDYING, A WAY TO BRING THOSE INTERVENTIONS TO CAVALCADE, UH, NEIGHBORHOOD LEVEL AND NEIGHBORHOOD, UH, FEEDBACK AND, AND ENGAGEMENT WILL BE A BIG PART OF THIS. 
          CAVALCADE HITS IRVINGTON PARK, IT HITS THE MD ANDERSON YMCA, IT INTERSECTS WITH OUR LIGHT RAIL SYSTEM REDLINE, AND IT IS A METRO BOOST CORRIDOR. 
          UH, SO METRO'S PARTNERSHIP HERE, THE THINGS THAT, UH, CHAIRWOMAN BROCK WAS TALKING ABOUT, THE SHELTERS THAT ALLOW FOR A BREEZE AND AN AIRFLOW WAYS TO COOL THE STOPS WHERE A SHELTER IS APPROPRIATE OR THERE'S NOT ENOUGH ROOM. 
          THOSE THINGS ARE KEY. 
          UH, WE WANT FOLKS WALKING TO IRVINGTON PARK. 
          WE WANT FOLKS WALKING TO THE Y WE WANT THEM USING THE LIGHT RAIL. 
          AND THIS IS A WIDE STREET. 
          IT'S GOT A MEDIAN. 
          THIS IS A GREAT FIRST TEST CASE FOR THIS CONCEPT HERE IN HOUSTON FROM 45 TO 59 CAVALCADE. 
          UM, SO WE'LL AGAIN, WORKING ON THIS RIGHT AWAY. 
          UM, AND THIS WILL BE OUR FIRST NEIGHBORHOOD AND OUR FIRST, OUR FIRST COOL CORRIDOR. 
          NOW I DO WANT TO SAY THIS IS A PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP. 
          UH, RANDY ALLUDED TO IT, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T REALLY HAVE MONEY SITTING AROUND AT THE CITY TO GO DO ALL THIS WORK. 
          UM, BUT IT IS VALUABLE WORK. 
          AND SO FOR THE FOLKS THAT ARE PARTICIPATING IN AND SUPPORTING THIS EFFORT AT THE NEIGHBORHOOD RESILIENCE LEVEL, THAT'S HOW WE'RE GETTING OUR TREES, THAT'S HOW WE'RE GETTING OUR RAIN BARRELS. 
          WE'VE ALSO PUT AN ASK OUT FOR AIR MONITORS SO THAT WE CAN MONITOR THE AIR QUALITY IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS WE'RE DOING THIS WORK IN AND TRACK THAT OVER TIME. 
          UM, THAT'S GONNA TAKE SUPPORT. 
          AND THE ORGANIZATIONS UP HERE, UH, HAVE ALREADY STEPPED UP TO SUPPORT TO MAKE THIS A REALITY SO THAT OUR FIRST TWO NEIGHBORHOODS HAVE THESE THINGS READY TO GO AND WE CAN GET TO WORK ON 'EM RIGHT AWAY. 
          UM, ON THE CORRIDOR SIDE, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S REALLY WORKING WITH, AGAIN, OUR TOURS, OUR MANAGEMENT DISTRICT, METRO PUBLIC WORKS, AND OUR PARKS DEPARTMENT, UM, SO THAT WE CAN BRING THESE THINGS TO REALITY. 
          BUT I I WILL SAY IT'S GONNA TAKE BEYOND JUST SOME FINANCIAL SUPPORT. 
          IT'S GONNA TAKE VOLUNTEERS, UH, BECAUSE THIS WILL BE, UH, A LABOR INTENSIVE, UH, WEEKEND FOR US WITH THE AMOUNT OF TREES WE ARE TRYING TO PLANT. 
          UM, SO YOU'LL SEE A QR CODE OVER THERE ON A, ON ONE OF THE FOAM BOARDS, SCAN IT AND FIGURE OUT HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED. 
          UH, BECAUSE WHILE WE'RE IN THE NEAR NORTH SIDE IN NOVEMBER, WE WILL BE SOMEWHERE ELSE IN THE DISTRICT IN FEBRUARY AND LATER THAT YEAR, IN NOVEMBER, AGAIN, WE WILL BE IN A DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOOD. 
          AND SO WHEN IT'S ALL SAID AND DONE, WE CAN POTENTIALLY IMPACT SIX NEIGHBORHOODS, UH, WITH THIS INTERVENTION. 
          THAT'S IF I'M HERE FOR ANOTHER FOUR YEARS, WHICH I HOPE TO BE. 
          UM, BUT THINK ABOUT THAT AND THEN THINK ABOUT WHAT THE NEAR NORTH SIDE'S GONNA LOOK LIKE AT THE END OF THOSE SIX YEARS WITH WHAT WE HAVE DONE AND HOW THAT HAS GROWN. 
          AND SEEING THAT IN JUST A SIX YEAR PERIOD AND THEN BEYOND, UM, IT WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND IT WILL MAKE AN IMPACT, AND IT'S GONNA TAKE HELP TO GET US THERE. 
          BUT THIS IS THE IDEA. 
          THIS IS THE PLAN, THE PLAN OF ACTION, UH, THAT, THAT RANDY WANTS, UH, TO GET TO WORK ON. 
          WE'RE GONNA DO IT. 
          UM, AND I, I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE, UH, BECAUSE THE DISTRICT NEEDS IT. 
          UH, QUITE FRANKLY, THE CITY NEEDS IT. 
          UH, WHAT BETTER PLACE TO START THAN IN DISTRICT H? LET'S PROVE THE CONCEPT AND THEN HAVE SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES, UH, COPY THE IDEA. 
          I'LL 
          [01:00:01]
GIVE THEM THE BLUEPRINT. 
          UH, BUT , YES. 
          SO THANK Y'ALL SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. 
          UH, SCAN THE QR CODE, FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET INVOLVED. 
          THERE'S LOTS OF WAYS WE'RE GONNA NEED YOUR HELP. 
          WE'RE GONNA NEED HELP SPREADING THE WORD. 
          WE NEED 500 PEOPLE TO SAY WE WANT A TREE. 
          UM, AND SO YOU'RE, YOU'RE HELP AMPLIFYING THE MESSAGE AND LETTING PEOPLE KNOW, UH, THAT THEY CAN ALSO GET A RAIN BARREL TOO. 
          WE WANT 'EM TO SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, UH, THIS IS WHAT IT'S GONNA TAKE. 
          SO I'LL BE AROUND. 
          THANK Y'ALL SO MUCH. 
          REALLY APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE.
* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.