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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.
Should You Vote for MetroNext 2040?
in Politics & Policy/by Tory GattisBack in January, I wrote an op-ed in the Chronicle giving MetroNext’s draft 2040 plan a grade of B-, with the primary penalty being too many miles of extremely expensive, low-ridership light rail, including two redundant lines to Hobby airport. Since then, they’ve made some good improvements to the plan, the most dramatic being consolidating […]
What Hawaii Can Learn From Houston, Our Tourism Niche, Metro Population Racing, and More
in Economics/by Tory GattisJust a few items from the Houston Strategies blog this week: Very cool animated “bar race chart” of metro areas adding the most population between 2011 and 2018. As you can see, Houston was #1 much of it while oil boomed and the rest of the country struggled to get out of the 2008 crash. […]
Transport Costs & Subsidies by Mode
in Economics/by Randal O’Tooleby Randal O’Toole — While it’s true that most transportation is subsidized, it is worth looking at the extent of those subsidies to judge whether subsidies to some forms of transport should be increased or reduced.
Houston Chronicle’s Editorial Crusade Against Fossil Fuels
in Economics, Energy & Environment/by Robert L. Bradley, Jr.by Robert L. Bradley, Jr. — There is no representation for conservatives or libertarians on the editorial board of the Houston Chronicle. So when it comes to energy, fossil fuels (because of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions) are seen as the enemy of the climate…
Transit Planners Want to Make Your Life Worse
in Economics, Planning, Suburbs, Urban Issues/by Joel Kotkinby Joel Kotkin — In our system of government, the public sector is, well, supposed to serve the public. But increasingly the bureaucracies at the state and local level increasingly seek to tell the public how to live, even if the result is to make life worse.
A Comparison of the World’s 1000 Largest Urban Areas
in Demographics, Urban Issues/by Wendell Coxby Wendell Cox — We began publishing Demographia World Urban Areas, to have data that was not previously available for international cities at the urban area level, such as population, urban land area, and urban population density. Comparisons of urban density were the least reliable, given the limited information.
Transit Ridership Falls Another 2.9 Percent In June
in Planning, Urban Issues/by Randal O’Tooleby Randal O’Toole — June 2019 transit ridership was 2.9 percent lower than in June 2018, according to the Federal Transit Administration’s most recent data release. Ridership dropped in all major modes, including bus, commuter rail, heavy rail, and light rail.
Ending the War on Communities: 14 Suggestions to Protect Neighborhoods While Providing Meaningful Housing Solutions
in Housing, Suburbs, Urban Issues/by John Mirischby John Mirisch — The debate on solving California’s housing affordability crisis has reached a fever pitch, and the level of noise is drowning out solutions. We are facing a push to indiscriminately force density on neighborhoods and a war on single-family housing
Stop Bashing Suburbs As Worst Places For Older People To Live
in Demographics, Housing, Suburbs/by Stephen Golantby Stephen M. Golant, Ph.D. — Suburbs and automobiles are necessary bedfellows in the United States, but this is why many experts believe that these low density, physically spread-out communities are the worst places for older persons to live.
We Need More Family Friendly Cities
in Urban Issues/by Aaron M. Rennby Aaron M. Renn — My latest piece is now online at the Institute for Family Studies. It’s a look at what it would take to make more family friendly cities.