Texas Department of Transportaion

MaX Lanes Network Moves Forward, But I45N Project Is in Turmoil

by Tory Gattis — Houston's MaX Lanes Network is moving forward, the I45N rebuild project is in need of support. Meanwhile, Houston continues to be an immgration magnet, with one of the best job to housing ratios in the country.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner's approach to dealing with homelessness in Houston is seeing success.

Austin vs. Houston; Houston’s Tough Love Homelessness Model

by Tory Gattis — This week, I'm sharing my favorite excerpts from Evan Mintz's newest Texas Monthly essay, and how Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner's approach to homelessness is succeeding.
Austin Downtown July 4th

Flexible Remote Work Beating Hybrid Models, Austin’s CA Housing Frenzy

by Tory Gattis — Californians are feeding Austin's housing frenzy, as flexible remote work is beating hybrid models for work.
Aerial view of San Antonio

Will Texas Get a 5th Large Metro?

by 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 how to solve the urban housing crisis

Reason Video on Houston’s Housing Approach

by 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.
Houston skyline at night

‘Be Someone’ City Opportunity Urbanism Event and more

by 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.
The Astrodome Conservancy starts campaign to repurpose the Astrodome

Astrodome as World’s Largest Climate-Controlled Festival Park, Smart Traffic Lights and more

by 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.
New construction in Texas

Houston Land Use Event, 2nd in Tech Growth, and Republican Voters Moving to Texas

by 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

Four Drivers of Texas’ Rapid Growth

by 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.
Photo credit: Aerial vies of Irvine, Texas by La Citta Vitta, via Flickr

Texas and Houston Growth Secret, Texas Miracle is More than Oil

by 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.