Missing Middle Land Use Reform in Houston
Houston tackles missing-middle housing with major land use reform such as reducing minimum lot sizes; small lot single-family zoning is something that has proven to increase housing supply.
Entries by Tory Gattis
Strong Towns is a Weird Urbanist Cult
Strong Towns is a weird urbanist cult that can’t produce hard numbers to back up their assertions suburbia is financially unsustainable (how many suburban municipality bankruptcies have you heard of?).
Building the New America: Texas’ Winning Approach to Housing Supply
Texas, renowned for its vast landscapes and independent spirit, has adopted a unique approach to housing development and affordability that sets it apart from many other states.
METRO Need to Support Higher Priorities for Houston
METRO has way too much money for too few riders, and the City could desperately use that money to be redeployed to much higher priorities, like police, street repairs, or just closing the chronic budget gap.
More on METRO’s Uptown BRT Failure
A Houston bus rapid transit (BRT) route over dedicated bus lanes is attracting less than 10 percent of the riders that were projected for it.
Housing Costs vs Fertility, YIMBY Righteousness and more
Housing costs show a strong correlation with fertility decline: as economies grow and people get wealthier, they want more space per person, and if they can’t afford it, they shrink their family size to compensate.
The Value that Mobility Adds to Quality of Life, and more
The value that mobility adds to a person’s quality of life is considered in a study on access to jobs via driving or transit, with the finding that, “larger accessibility (via more possible trips within a given time frame) leads to greater economic productivity.”
Induced Demand Debunked
Does “induced demand” make road projects futile? Most new demand on expanded roads comes from new population, new employment and economic activity — which is normally considered to be a good thing.
Urban Doom Loop Coming for Cities with Commercial Real Estate Crash
As cities experience a rapid decline in commercial real estate value; they face difficult choices that could make them less attractive, triggering a “urban doom loop” that pushes more people away, hurts revenue, and perpetuates a cycle of decline.
Texas Transportation Projects Update
Texas transportation projects update: the legislative regular session ended on Memorial Day. Transportation related issues were mostly low priority, and the Senate focused mainly on a few important long-term funding bills.