Houston's mini kaihatsu, sinking a false alarm

Houston’s Mini-Kaihatsu, Sinking False Alarm, and more

by Tory Gattis — Houston's reported rate of sinking may be a false alarm in terms of the city actually disappearing below sea level, and a new book notes similarities between Tokyo's mini-kaihatsu and Houston's townhouse developments.
Texas Highway Interchange Stack

Silliness of Induced Demand Arguments, NZ MUD Troubles, and more

by Tory Gattis — On the silliness of the induced demand anti-freeway-expansion argument; taxpayers *want* government to invest in infrastructure where there is demand!
Los Colimas area and exurbs beyond Irving, Texas

Ultimate Agglomeration Diseconomy: The Standard of Living

Wendell Cox — It is hard to imagine a more destructive agglomeration effect than reducing the standard of living. Yet this is what the loss of housing affordability does.
Las Colinas light-rail station in Irving, Texas

With Low Ridership, Should Metro’s Excess Cash Pile Go To Flood Control?

by Tory Gattis — In spite of ridership being cut in half due to Covid, Metro's financial position became stronger than ever due to a huge influx of federal grants, a total of $714 million in Covid relief in 2020 and 2021. Should this excess go to flood control?

Demographia International Housing Affordability – 2022 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.
Golden Gate Bridge in the fog

Green Jim Crow

by Jennifer Hernandez — The daughter and granddaughter of steelworkers, I grew up in Pittsburg, California, a gritty industrial town on the outskirts of the San Francisco Bay Area, with a significant Latino and Black workforce. That California no longer exists.
Housing elasticity and prices in 20 fast-growing U.S. metrosMarket Urbanism Report

Texas Startup Manifesto 2.0, Houston housing elasticity, remote work reshaping America, and more

by Tory Gattis — How does the Houston housing market achieve elasticity? Less regulation. The city famously lacks a zoning code, and many of its suburbs are also very pro-growth.
Austin Downtown July 4th

Houston’s Ugliness Serves a Purpose, Austin = next Silicon Valley?

by Tory Gattis — Is Austin poised to become the next Silicon Valley? The city is currently attracting an influx of tech companies and workers from California.
Costly housing in California unaffordable for working class

Making America California

by Joel Kotkin — As the Biden administration settles in and begins to formulate its agenda, progressive pundits, politicians, and activists point to California as a role model for national policy. If the administration listens to them, it would prove a disaster for America’s already-beleaguered middle and working classes.
Public Domain

How a Biden Presidency Can Boost Houston and more

by Tory Gattis — Many people may be thinking of a Biden presidency as negative for the oil industry and Houston, but infrastructure projects could boost Houston.