Building the New America: Report on trends shaping the migration of people and jobs

Report: Building the New America

How do we build a new urban model for America — one that is better aligned with the aspirations of most Americans? This newly released report examines the housing trends that are driving today's migration of people and jobs.

Demographia United States Housing Affordability – 2023 Edition Released

Demographia United States Housing Affordability rates housing affordability using the median multiple, a measurement of income in relation to housing prices, or 174 major markets (metropolitan areas) for the third quarter of 2022.
Today's cities face an uncertain future if they do not adapt and change

Urban Doom Loop Coming for Cities with Commercial Real Estate Crash

As cities experience a rapid decline in commercial real estate value; they face difficult choices that could make them less attractive, triggering a “urban doom loop” that pushes more people away, hurts revenue, and perpetuates a cycle of decline.
View of Downtown Houston, Texas

Harris County, Drop Basic Income and Address Cost of Living

Harris County taxpayers might be much better served by addressing the county's escalating cost of living rather than expanding their guaranteed basic income pilot program.
Austin, Texas light rail project

Texas Transportation Projects Update

Texas transportation projects update: the legislative regular session ended on Memorial Day. Transportation related issues were mostly low priority, and the Senate focused mainly on a few important long-term funding bills.
Houston Metro Transit Bus

BRT Should Use Shared Not Dedicated Lanes, HTX #1 real estate market, and more

METRO's Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) plan should use shared lanes rather than dedicated lanes to minimize traffic congestion.
The rebuild of 45N could hasten the demise of downtown Houston

Is the 18 year Rebuild of 45N a Good Thing or Will it Kill Downtown?

Will the two decades long rebuild of 45N eventually ease traffic, or will it cause employers to move to the suburbs and permanently shift to remote work, killing economic vitality in the downtown area of Houston?
Texas' licensing burden

Texas’ Burdensome Licensing Requirements

Texas ranks as the 18th most burdensome state for licensing requirements despite recent attempts to address overly burdensome occupational licensing.
International housing affordability, a suburban development in the U.S.

Demographia International Housing Affordability – 2023 Edition Released

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.
Houston sneaking backdoor zoning ordinance

City of Houston Sneaking Through Backdoor Zoning

The City of Houston is trying to sneak through backdoor zoning with an ordinance authorizing "conservation districts". This legislation is open for public comment: we've included the link to make your opposition heard.
Texas' $31BN Storm Barrier - known as the Ike Dike

Empty Downtowns, Blue-state Exodus Continues, and HTX Port Expansion

Empty downtowns persist as data shows strong economic incentives to continue the work-from-home revolution if jobs allow it, plus Houston port expansion seems to be paying off.