"The seeming success of compact cities and the supposed dangers of sprawl to the climate have led to pushback against sprawling, car-dominated cities. Join us as we discuss the environmental case for suburbia."
"The Covid-19 pandemic has cut a scar through our society, and particularly our cities. What does the future look like? How will we work and where will we live? This panel is designed to give insights into the future trends that will shape real estate, work-life, and society in the next decade."
Moderator:
Joel Kotkin - Joel Kotkin is a fellow in urban studies at Chapman University in Orange, California, and Executive Director of Urban Reform Institute.
Panelists:
Tiffany Thomas - Tiffany Thomas is a Houston City Council Member representing District F. As Chair of Housing and Community Affairs for the city, she oversees priorities related to Housing, Veteran Affairs, Homelessness, and Solid Waste. Thomas also currently serves as Program Coordinator and Assistant Professor of Community Development at Prairie View A&M.
Luis Bernardo Torres - Formerly with Mexico’s central bank, Banco de Mexico, Luis brings critical international expertise to the Texas Real Estate Research Center at Texas A&M. Having served four internships with the El Paso office of the Dallas Federal Reserve, Luis understands the workings of central banking, a key driver of U.S. and world economies.
Wendell Cox - Wendell Cox is an American urban policy analyst and academic. He is the principal and sole owner of Wendell Cox Consultancy/Demographia, based in the St. Louis metropolitan region and editor of three websites, Demographia, The Public Purpose, and Urban Tours by Rental Car. Cox is a fellow of numerous think tanks, including Urban Reform Institute.
Andrew Segal -Andrew Segal formed Boxer Property in September 1992. Under his oversight, the company has successfully reached into segments as diverse as resort hotels, retail centers, office, and other real estate businesses, accounting for approximately 20 million square feet of space across the United States.
My online event Tues, HTX #1 BBQ and #2 tech growth, R voters moving to TX, post-pandemic city shifts, ATX vs. HTX home prices, housing craziness humor, and more
Before we get to this week's items, just a reminder that my Mercatus online panel event on Land Use without Planning is 2pm CT on Tuesday. I'll be covering some of Houston's land use and zoning history as well as what other cities can learn from Houston. You can learn more and register here.
Moving on to a large backlog of items for this week:
NYT: There’s an Exodus From the ‘Star Cities,’ and I Have Good News and Bad News. Excellent summary of many different analyses forecasting post-pandemic urban geography. I’m not sure they’re right that pandemic migration will push R counties/states more D though. A lot of frustrated Rs are using the pandemic to escape D states and move to R states. For every D techie moving from SF to Austin, I'd bet 2 frustrated California Rs are moving to Texas. Actually, a recent survey found 57% of California migrants to Houston voted for Ted Cruz, which validates what I've been hearing. Here’s the most upvoted comment:
"Kotkin nails it 'Meanwhile, the working class struggles to pay rent, possesses no demonstrable path to a better life and, as a result, often migrates elsewhere.' I mean seriously is there anything worse than being poor in New York City, working a job in food service, barely able to pay your rent, knowing that you'll never own anything but an endless struggle against being evicted? Or you can move to Georgia, live cheaply in a far larger house / apt, and work towards gaining equity of something. No smart poor person would ever stay in NYC."
Excellent analysis video and paper showing that even where the land values are the same in Austin and Houston (i.e. same market demand), Austin houses are far more expensive due to over-regulation. Thanks Kevin!
"Houston ranks second among 14 major U.S. labor markets for the number of relocating software and IT workers between March 2020 and February 2021 compared with the same period a year earlier.
Miami grabs the No. 1 spot for the gain in software and IT workers (up 15.4 percent) between the two periods, with Houston in second place (10.4 percent) and Dallas-Fort Worth in third place (8.6 percent), according to the LinkedIn data."
"The big story among the nation’s major metros over the past decade has been the persistence of urban core out-migration and suburban in-migration...Houston had the 2nd-largest gain at 1.2 million, with a 20.8% increase, and remains the 5th largest metro."
"Certainly, Houstonians will be pleased with that result, but the notion that Austin might be Texas' third best city for barbecue will likely cause considerable agita in the state capital." ;-D
"It’s a melting pot, and that’s one of the things that stood out that I absolutely loved about the city. The fact that there’s a lot of positivity going on and people doing great things here, those are really some of the main reasons I stayed in the city.
Their turkey legs are decadent, sure. Like other rodeo-adjacent foods, they’re large, indulgent and full of flavor. They, in essence, are Houston."
An open dialogue on serious strategies for making Houston a better city, as well as a coalition-builder to make them happen. All comments, email, and support welcome.
