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Will Texas Get a 5th Large Metro?
/in Blog /by COUby Tory Gattis — Writer Scott Beyer considers whether Texas is poised to add a 5th large metro, and thinks it will be along the corridor between Austin and San Antonio.
Reason Video on Houston’s Housing Approach
/in Blog, Housing /by Tory Gattisby Tory Gattis — The lead item this week is a very cool video from Reason, “Density or Sprawl? How To Solve the Urban Housing Crisis” — that discusses how Houston’s housing approach gets it right.
‘Be Someone’ City Opportunity Urbanism Event and more
/in Blog, Housing, Planning /by Tory Gattisby Tory Gattis — Join us Wednesday evening June 16th: Building a ‘Be Someone’ City: Houston and the Rise of Opportunity Urbanism. We will discuss how to develop a market-centered, ‘people-oriented’ approach to urban policy, planning, and development.
Astrodome as World’s Largest Climate-Controlled Festival Park, Smart Traffic Lights and more
/in Blog, Planning, Urban Issues /by Tory Gattisby Tory Gattis — Could the Astrodome be repurposed as the world’s largest climate-controlled park with a focus on weekend festivals? Having an activated park full of activities and festivals on weekends that is always protected from heat and rain would be a very popular spot for Houstonians.
Houston Land Use Event, 2nd in Tech Growth, and Republican Voters Moving to Texas
/in Blog, Event, Urban Issues /by Tory Gattisby Tory Gattis — First, I’ll be covering some of Houston’s land use and zoning history as well as what other cities can learn from Houston in an online event this Tuesday. Second, demographic information post-pandemic indicates that it may be frustrated Republican (R) voters leaving Democratic states and moving to R states…
Four Drivers of Texas’ Rapid Growth
/in Blog, Housing, Planning, Politics & Policy, Suburbs /by Tory Gattisby Tory Gattis — Four drivers of Texas’ rapid growth: a light touch on zoning, high standard of living, and family friendly housing prices in good school districts make for opportunity cities.
Texas and Houston Growth Secret, Texas Miracle is More than Oil
/in Blog, Housing, Planning, Politics & Policy /by Tory Gattisby Tory Gattis — Going beyond all the usual reasons given for Texas’ high growth, here’s the technical overlooked one that I think is a big key: Texas does not allow unincorporated counties to regulate land use (i.e. create zoning), which creates pretty much a totally free market in development just outside cities.
My Land Use without Zoning Event, TX #1 for Small Biz, and the Be Someone Sign is Back
/in Blog, Politics & Policy, Suburbs, Urban Issues /by Tory Gattisby Tory Gattis — I will be one of the speakers at the “Land Use without Zoning: Putting Ideas into Practice” online event, hosted by the Mercatus Center. Understanding how to navigate and remove zoning and land-use regulation barriers allows for a dynamic housing market and paves the way for successful community development efforts.
Transit Tips from Harvard and Japan, Houston Life Science
/in Blog, Politics & Policy /by Tory Gattisby Tory Gattis — Transit tips from Harvard and Japan could benefit Houston. Meanwhile, Houston has just been named a Life Science emerging market.
What Houston Could Lose Because of Harris County’s Anti-NHHIP (IH-45) Lawsuit
/in Blog, Politics & Policy /by COUby Tory Gattis — Houston could lose because of Harris County’s Anti-NHHIP (IH-45) lawsuit; the highway project provides extensive, transformative improvements.