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Urban Reform Institute is a 501c3 Non-Profit organization
that exists to promote approaches that enable cities to
drive opportunity for the bulk of their citizens.
The Expanding and Dispersing San Francisco Bay Area
in Demographics, Economics, Housing, Suburbs, Urban Issues/by Wendell Coxby Wendell Cox — This decade has witnessed an unprecedented expansion of the Greater San Francisco Bay Area (the San Jose-San Francisco combined statistical area or CSA), with the addition of three Central Valley metropolitan areas, Stockton, Modesto and Merced. Over the same period, there has been both a drop in the population growth rate and a shift of growth to the Central Valley exurban metropolitan areas.
Promoting the Houston model in South Africa, Morocco, and California
in Planning/by Tory GattisI’m back! Apologies for the sporadic posts in October – it was quite the travel month for me: two smart cities workshops (Johannesburg, South Africa and Marrakesh, Morocco), another workshop on the California affordable housing crisis with this guy (Irvine, CA), work in Connecticut, and fill-in mini-vacations in Cape Town and Barcelona (and I highly […]
California’s Man-Made Power Outages
in Economics, Energy & Environment/by Ronald Steinby Ronald Stein — The public has strongly supported Obama-era regulations, which rewrote forest rules and guidelines nationwide. In California, man-made power outages are one result.
Forced Upzoning is Bad Policy, But Here’s How We Can Mitigate Its Impacts
in Economics, Housing, Urban Issues/by John Mirischby John Mirisch — A number of bills in California’s legislature attempt to “solve” the state’s housing challenges by overriding local municipal zoning ordinances and allowing developers to build up to Sacramento-mandated levels of density. The most notable of these bills is SB50, which has no provision for affordable housing, but espouses a “trickle-down” theory that building market-rate (i.e. luxury) housing will “filter” down to create more affordable housing.
Three Studies That Show Density Doesn’t Determine Car Travel
in Housing, Suburbs, Urban Issues/by Fanis Grammenosby Fanis Grammenos — Recent research sheds new light on the critical issue of the link between car travel and urban density. Conventional planning wisdom has it that increasing development density bestows benefits, most importantly that of reducing driving.
Greater Los Angeles Area Growth Tanking and Dispersing
in Demographics, Economics, Housing, Suburbs, Urban Issues/by Wendell Coxby Wendell Cox — For decades, there has been substantial dispersion of population in Greater Los Angeles (Los Angeles combined statistical area or CSA), as the suburban areas outside the urban core have dominated population growth.
Organic Urbanism is the Cure for New Urbanism
in Economics, Housing, Urban Issues/by Douglas Newbyby Douglas Newby — Organic Urbanism works with people’s preferences, particularly those of families. It protects, preserves, and nurtures the city, allowing the creativity of individuals and neighborhoods to shape the direction of the city.
Proposing an Autonomous Transit Service for Houston
in Planning, Urban Issues/by Tory GattisTory Gattis covers transit issues: Houston needs a forward-thinking solution when planning transit that will be in place for the upcoming decades. Autonomous vehicles are that solution and Houston can be the leader in pioneering autonomous systems for public transit..
Ten Worst Things About Houston, Best State Rankings, Economic Diversification, and SF vs. TX Homes
in Demographics, Economics/by Tory GattisTory Gattis covers the Ten Worst Things About Houston, Best State Rankings, Economic Diversification, and SF vs. TX Homes in this weekly roundup. Texas ranked near the top for residents that feel their state is the best place to live: standard of living and trust in state government are key reasons.
Younger Americans Don’t Hate Suburbia
in Demographics, Housing, Suburbs/by Samuel J. Abramsby Samuel J Abrams — new data from AEI’s “Survey on Community and Society shows that suburbs are also politically diverse places where younger Americans report having vibrant social lives and dynamic economic opportunities.