Commentary

How cities can drive opportunity for the bulk of their citizens

Why are so many candidates running for Houston Controller?

Why Are So Many People Running for Houston Controller?

April 17, 2023

Why are so many people running for Houston Controller? Perhaps one reason is that the Controller’s Office has long been seen as a natural stepping stone to the Mayor’s Office.

Future of Cities Series: California's Inland Empire

The Future of Cities: California’s Inland Empire

April 13, 2023

It's always been a mug's fame to best against New York City, which was counted out only to quickly bounce back after 9/11 and again in 2008 after the financial system nearly collapsed.

Texas Triangle Train

April 11, 2023

TxDOT recently announced that it has submitted three grant applications to the U.S. Department of Transportation to advance passenger rail service within the Texas Triangle.

Roy Luck

Does METRO’s Advertising Budget Influence Local Reporting?

April 10, 2023

Is Metro's advertising influencing local reporting? Local media runs ads that promotes the use of Metro services, and is mostly silent on ridership decline.

The Future of Cities: The Evolution of New York City Politics

April 6, 2023

It's always been a mug's fame to best against New York City, which was counted out only to quickly bounce back after 9/11 and again in 2008 after the financial system nearly collapsed.

One Clean Houston seeks to end littering and illegal dumping

Mayor Launches “One Clean Houston”

April 6, 2023

Last week, Mayor Sylvester Turner launched a new initiative, “One Clean Houston,” to combat illegal dumping through rapid cleanup, better enforcement, and prevention and education.

METRO subsidy is higher than the cost of annual car ownership for a small sedan

METRO subsidizes riders higher than the cost of car ownership!

April 3, 2023

guest post by Oscar Slotboom — The current level of METRO subsidy means that every regular Metro customer is costing taxpayers the cost of annual car ownership.

Texas’ Burdensome Licensing Requirements

March 31, 2023

Texas ranks as the 18th most burdensome state for licensing requirements despite recent attempts to address overly burdensome occupational licensing.

The Texas Triangle, an Emerging Urban Model

The Future of Cities: The Texas Triangle

March 23, 2023

The metropolitan areas that form the “Texas Triangle” —Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio— are emerging as distinctive models of 21st century urbanism.

Lot size reform puts money in pocket of Houston homeowners

Problem, We Have a Houston – Lot Size Reform Equivalent to $18K Gift for Single-Family Homeowners

March 22, 2023

Houstonians got a free $18k from minimum lot size reform, but is Houston sliding towards zoning? Houston tops standard of living rankings.

Urban transit has steeply declined post-pandemic

The Era of Urban Supremacy is Over

March 21, 2023

Wendell Cox — a founding fellow at the Urban Reform Institute and a principal of Demographia, an international public policy firm — pointed out that the pandemic and the accompanying surge in remote work have wreaked havoc on urban transit systems.

International housing affordability, a suburban development in the U.S.

Demographia International Housing Affordability – 2023 Edition Released

March 20, 2023

Demographia International Housing Affordability rates middle-income housing affordability in 92 major housing markets in eight nations: Australia, Canada, China, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States). This edition covers the third quarter (September quarter) of 2021.

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

HRBC and PSTX PAC Release info on Voters in Houston, Texas

March 16, 2023

Houstonians experienced scandal, high crime, and unreliable infrastructure over the past years and this coming November, voters will decide who will succeed outgoing Democratic Mayor, Sylvester Turner.

The Future of Cities: Indianapolis

March 16, 2023

Indianapolis was an unlikely candidate to emerge as a midwestern demographic and economic leader. It is an artificially created city, chosen by fiat as a centrally located capital for the state of Indiana.

Dhanix, used under CC 3.0 License

Experts Spar Over Induced Demand and Urban Freeway Expansion

March 15, 2023

Experts spar over whether urban freeway expansion results in less congestion or not; does added capacity simply lead more drivers to use the freeway?

The Future of Cities: Recalibrating Expectations: Lessons From Youngstown, Ohio