Houston is famous among urbanists for many reasons: its lack of traditional zoning, its perpetual growth, and its position in the oil industry are just a few examples. Here, Wendell Cox argues that the city is still under appreciated.

"Houston is a city (metropolitan area) of superlatives," writes Wendell Cox before digging into the data that make the case for Houston as a world class city and economy.
The first of the data points Cox calls on is a "recent Brookings Institution data shows that Houston has the seventh strongest per capita economy (gross domestic product) in the world…" The second is the recently released COU Standard of Living Index, which "ranked Houston just behind San Jose in real pay per job for households entering the housing market…"
The rest of the article offers a series of presentations on the defining qualities of Houston—all of which endeavor in service of the idea that Houston is an under appreciated urban and economic behemoth, with the potential to continue its steady growth and accumulation of wealth under the Trump Administration.
FULL STORY: THE EVOLVING URBAN FORM: HOUSTON

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Congressman Proposes Bill to Rename DC Metro “Trump Train”
The Make Autorail Great Again Act would withhold federal funding to the system until the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), rebrands as the Washington Metropolitan Authority for Greater Access (WMAGA).

DARTSpace Platform Streamlines Dallas TOD Application Process
The Dallas transit agency hopes a shorter permitting timeline will boost transit-oriented development around rail stations.

Porches, Pets, and the People We Grow Old With
Neighborhood connections and animal companions matter to aging with dignity, and how we build can support them. Here’s a human-scale proposal for aging in place.

Single-Stair Design Contest Envisions Human-Scale Buildings
Single-stair building construction is having a resurgence in the United States, where, for the last several decades, zoning codes have required more than one staircase in multi-story housing developments.

Tesla Protests Release of Documents About Austin Robotaxi Launch
The company seeks to block the release of emails with city officials on the grounds they could contain confidential information and trade secrets.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Charlotte
Municipality of Princeton
Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)