Htown Bingo, beaucoup Hou kudos, not living downtown, fixing the airport shuttle, and more
And the smaller misc items just keep piling up...
- Why does downtown Houston struggle to add residents? It's really pretty simple: who wants to pay high-rise living prices but have their view blocked by another building across the street? There are plenty of buildings at the same - or lower - price point in the downtown-uptown-TMC triangle with unobstructed views.
- Houston paychecks go far. Best big city behind DC. Of course the federal government doesn't have any competition, so they can pay whatever they want. NYC is one of the worst.
- Speaking of NYC, lots of New Yorkers want to leave, and Houston was the most cited destination! Wow. We've come a long way, baby. Hat tip to Anthony.
- From the Chronicle: Use it or lose it: Metro's budget shuttle to the airport needs support from riders and stakeholders. Here's the answer: much smaller shuttles operated by The Wave. I'm sure their shuttles would be *far* cheaper to operate - and better match up with the low level of demand. You don't have to do everything yourself Metro with the mega-buses - sometimes a private contract is a better way to go...
- The Deal magazine has two features on the dealmaking environment in Houston, which is especially strong in energy, healthcare, medicine, and even around the port: Power Play and Energy Nexus. Thanks to the anonymous commentor who sent me the links.
- A pretty cool interactive racial map of Houston comparing the 2000 and 2010 Censuses. Hat tip to Jessie.
- Houston #5 on New Geography's Next Future Boomtown rankings. Texas has 4 of the top 7, including Austin at #1.
- The LA Times admires the job engine that is Texas, creating 4 out of 10 new jobs nationally since the recession officially ended. Hat tip to Josh.
- Houston tops yet another list, Most Affordable for Business. It beat some great competition. See who: http://bit.ly/lbL5L2
- Texas ranked the No. 1 State for Business by CEO Magazine http://bit.ly/iNJ4Nt
- Houston has the hottest job market for IT professionals http://bit.ly/l6NV6V
- Disappointing nat’l job numbers, but not in Houston. At 368 new jobs a day since 2010, we’re no. 2! http://bit.ly/ixkIJN
- Attention young adults…Houston among the best to start a career http://bit.ly/lVEU5V
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And for all you players out there, here's the newest piece:
Labels: affordability, census, demographics, economy, energy, home affordability, Metro, mobility strategies, rankings, world city
posted by Tory Gattis @ 7:41 PM
6 Comments:
Many people won't mind blocked views if they can have the interesting street life a developed downtown offers. The problem is that downtown Houston only has the beginnings of such a streetlife. I think it's just a slow process... you can't have too many residents if there aren't interesting shops and restaurants, and you can't have interesting shops and restaurants if there aren't a lot of residents, and you won't have either if there are still (relatively) cheap empty blocks being developed just outside downtown, so all these factors must slowly progress (along with the economy) for that number to rise.
sorry for repeating myself, but METRO could increase transit utilization AND make money (or at least stop losing it) if it were to form a partnership with private sector, for example, SuperShuttle
The primary factors reducing residential demand in downtown are the large commercial demand downtown and the low commute costs to downtown and, as mike points out, the lack of retail services, which is kind of a chicken and egg problem.
I'm looking at that 2000/2010 racial comparison map. I'm assuming lighter colors means a lower plurality.
Is it me or is the area a lot less segregated on a neighborhood level?
I think Houston is more mixed than other cities, partially due to the lack of zoning, but also the growing Hispanic population is moving into all areas, mixing things up.
Fun exercise: drill down on the map until you're focused on downtown out to about River Oaks on the left. Then move the middle map line back and forth over west Midtown, 4th Ward, and Washington Ave. Also the Museum District. You can see some pretty dramatic changes...
...& B I N G O was the
savior's name
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