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The place for news about Houston and issues that affect the future of the city
The place for news about Houston and issues that affect the future of the city
Support Center for Opportunity Urbanism as we promote people-oriented urbanism.
Urban Reform Institute
3900 Essex Lane, Suite 1200
Houston, Texas 77027
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.
Misleading Poverty Stats, What $250K Buys You in Houston, Density and Transit vs. COVID
/in Blog /by Tory GattisHouston allows even the poorest to come here seeking opportunity rather than blocking them out thru restrictive housing policy. And their point about rich neighborhoods being next to poor ones is also great! That means there is affordable housing near the jobs (esp. service jobs). Every major job center in Houston has affordable neighborhoods within a 15-minute transit ride.
Better Understanding of What Makes Houston Special
/in Blog /by Tory Gattisby Tory Gattis — Just a few short items this week mostly around a common theme of understanding what makes Houston special; food, music, parks and friendly people…
Is Traffic Congestion a Con?
/in Blog /by Tory GattisLast month, INRIX issued a new report on urban traffic congestion worldwide, with new rankings for U.S. metro areas. Has expanding freeway capacity failed or were comparison metrics poorly chosen?
Houston Most Affordable High-Growth Metro
/in Blog /by Tory Gattisby Tory Gattis — Houston is the most affordable high-growth metro, with rents more affordable than Dallas, Austin or even San Antonio. Other affordable metros are slow-growth to stagnant or declining.
Klineberg plugs Houspitality, HTX outbuilds NYC, escape from New York, and more
/in Blog /by Tory Gattisby Tory Gattis — if you’re looking for something new to read during this lockdown, I wanted to suggest a new book from Rice’s Stephen Klineberg: The Prophetic City – Houston on the Cusp of a Changing America, all about how we’ve evolved over recent decades through the lens of his annual Houston Area Survey. Houston Strategies and Houspitality get a mention!
Post-Pandemic Transit and Offices, Remote Work Reducing Rents, and More
/in Blog /by Tory Gattisby Tory Gattis — This week’s key topics consider how we’ve faced the challenges of the pandemic and what transit and work might look like post-pandemic.
Debating Deed Restrictions and Zoning, Office vs. Remote Work and More
/in Blog /by Tory Gattisby Tory Gattis — Will remote work become the norm? Even after the crisis eases, companies may let workers stay home. That would affect an entire ecosystem, from transit to restaurants to shops.
The City of Houston’s Problematic Requests for the I-45N Project
/in Blog /by Erik Slotboomby Erik Slotboom — Within weeks or months of a record of decision on this 10 year plan — the I-45N project, CoH is abruptly changing its position and is requesting drastic changes that are harmful to mobility, safety, and aesthetics.
More on How Density and Transit Relate to the Pandemic
/in Blog /by Tory Gattisby Tory Gattis — The last week has been crazy, with many new items coming over the wire, related to last week’s post on how density and transit relate to the pandemic.
How Density and Transit Relate to the Pandemic
/in Blog /by Tory Gattisby Tory Gattis — Our main theme this week is the relationship between density, transit, and the pandemic: it’s now clear that the exposure density from how we live, work and get around fueled the pandemic.