New research looks into how commuting times in the Houston area effect on housing prices.
Most people would like to live close to the place they work, but, in a growing city like Houston, that can be an expensive proposition. For many Houstonians it's necessary to "drive 'til you qualify"—i.e., searching through suburban communities for homes in your price range. According to Paul Takahashi of the Houston Business Journal, "the average commute for Houstonians who own a $265,000 home is 30.5 miles."
This data comes from work done by Scott Davis of Meyers Research, whose investigation found "About 67 percent of these Houston homeowners have a commute that’s between 15 to 47 miles." In his work, Davis’s goal was to quantify the value of those miles in terms of the price of homes. We will see whether planners and developers are influenced by these findings.
Read the full story: This is how far Houstonians are willing to commute for an affordable home
Infrastructure vs. Housing
Do shortages of infrastructure justify restrictive zoning?
Houston and San Francisco: Urban Development Patterns Gone Awry
With the media rightfully pointing to Houston's sprawling urban development patterns that exacerbated the epic flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey, Paul Krugman also finds fault with cities where urban development is too tightly regulated.
City of the Future: Houston?
Thanks to Planetizen, I found “Opportunity Urbanism,” a report that posits Houston as “an emerging paradigm for the 21st century.” (There's a related op-ed here.) The report, regrettably, is a manifesto as empty as the title -- which Kotkin clearly hopes will become a catchphrase. So why is it important?
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
‘Going backwards:’ Baltimore mayor, students rally against state's transit funding plan
Maryland's proposed six-year plan provides no funding for Baltimore’s BMORE bus program and reduces its road maintenance funding.
Detroit to transform waterfront with $2.2 billion investment
Developers will convert about 18 acres of unused parking lot space into civic spaces.
HUD, USDA agree on framework to simplify housing environmental review standards
Their agreement is a requirement of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act.
Cost of water rising at a faster pace than inflation, median household income
California and Maryland residents have seen their water bills grow especially high.
NYC building owners overwhelmingly comply with new emissions limits
The New York City Department of Buildings is fining owners who did not file emissions reports.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello