Houston, TX HOV lane on Highway 69

Spiraling Admin Costs + Strong Toll Revenue Recovery at HCTRA

Toll revenue recovery at Harris County Toll Road Authority (HCTRA) is strong, but admin costs have skyrocketed since 2020.
Aerial view of Houston, Texas

Countering the “Freeway Fighters”

by Tory Gattis — This piece covers the "freeway fighters", a growing anti-freeway movement in America which will have many negative ramifications for the economies of metro areas.
Houston's proposed University Line, Metro Transit

Metro Needs to Rethink the University Line

Houston transit opponents worry that construction of the University Line will snarl traffic, invite unwelcome development and cripple local businesses.
Houston #1 Standard of Living

Houston #1 Standard of Living Globally, HTX vs LA, and more

by Tory Gattis — Houston has the highest purchasing power at the lowest cost-of-living in the world... aka the highest standard of living in the world.
Aerial view of suburbs

New Book: Houston as the Bold Case Against Zoning

A new book by M. Nolan Gray cites the Houston city model makes a bold case against zoning.
SH 146 construction, Houston

Comparing the Inflating Costs of Houston Highways vs. Transit

Inflation is causing huge cost increases for all types of infrastructure projects; this week we compare Houston highway vs. transit cost inflation.
Shinkansen "bullet" train, high-speed rail

The Death of Texas High-Speed Rail

The death of Texas high-speed rail looks imminent based on the recent news of the CEO's departure, but the economics never made sense unless Japan was willing to heavily subsidize the program in order to show off their trains in America (hoping for future sales).
Post Houston busy with a diverse crowd in Houston

Post HTX Diversity, Housing Costs Hurt Education and more

by Tory Gattis — Big increases in housing costs since 2000 have likely eaten most of the wage premium return from getting a college education, reducing the incentive to invest in education.
High Cost of a Home

Solving the Housing Shortage, and Houston Popular for Relocation

by Tory Gattis — Wall Street Journal finds that the housing shortage is caused by a combination of zoning and financing rules and supply-chain constraints.
Inner KATY BRT Plan

Metro’s Inner Katy BRT Plan, and Urban Exodus Trend

by Tory Gattis — Metro's Inner Katy BRT plan looks good except for TXDoT's duplicative plans for vehicle traffic lanes to replace lost access to existing HOV lanes. And, the urban exodus continues.