Houston Strategies

Houston culture and brand, moving Americans, HSR, rail maps, and more

Another set of smaller items:

• HSR ridership rarely gets anywhere near projections, creating serious revenue shortfalls. "High speed rail is an unprofitable train wreck."
• Houston ranked as the #8 cultural capital in America, according to Forbes. Hat tip.
• Americans are relocating less (mainly because of the economy and difficulty selling homes), but when they do, Texas is a favorite. And DC. At current trends, all of America will eventually move to DC and work for the federal government or a contractor within a few decades (OK, I made that up, but it feels like it). Hat tip to Sarah.
• Christof maps out high-speed rail vs. local commuter rail in 5 major regions of the country, including Texas. Check it out for the amazing maps alone. Click on the maps once to have them fill your browser screen, then again to zoom in. The detail is incredible. Metro should contract out their route system map-making to Christof.
  

I heard an interesting new candidate for Houston's tag line/brand/identity the other day: "Houston: A New Energy" (credit to Marc Nathan). I like that a lot. Plays off the whole Energy Capital thing, but also hints at initiatives in alternative energy, nanotech, and biotech. It also reflects the entrepreneurial energy here. Another variant would be something like "Warm Energy" to reflect the hospitality/friendliness - but that one doesn't work as well. What do you think? I'd love to hear other suggestions in the comments.

Labels: growth, high-speed rail, identity, rail, rankings

posted by Tory Gattis @ 7:31 PM