As Houston residents demand more from City Hall on issues ranging from on-time trash collection to protecting neighborhoods from unwanted development, the city’s Super Neighborhood system is a key channel for organizing local concerns — yet many residents have no idea it exists.
Nearly three decades after the initiative was created, just 51 of its 88 volunteer-led Super Neighborhood Councils are active. The city is now trying to strengthen the system by reactivating dormant groups, helping residents rewrite bylaws and making it easier for them to get city funding.
But improvements will require more than reviving organizations, neighborhood leaders said. Better communication with City Hall, broader participation and an earlier voice in decisions affecting their communities could make the groups more effective, they said…