Houston population and freeway usage changes over a 10 year period

That was damnably interesting.

 

It doesn't help me to see raw numbers assigned to labels that aren't defined. Maybe if there was some indication of all the variables that are included in "Congestion Cost" it would be helpful. Houston started a rail project during that time period that cost a lot money to get up and running. I have no idea if Portland has invested in new rail during that time period. And I have no idea if those sorts of mass transit numbers are even figured in to the Congestion Cost label.

I would expect that Houston would have far bigger transportation expenses generally, as it's the 2nd biggest city in the country in terms of square mileage.

 

After reading this, I wanted to find out what was the largest city in terms of square mileage. To my surprise (I am sure others as well) Houston is not even in the top 5. I would have never guessed Jacksonville and OKC are bigger as far as square miles are concerned..



http://education.randmcnally.com/cl...e.do?showSingleAnswer=true&abnQuestionId=0038

 

A few things stuck out to me.

Houston grew less than portland (and denser, oddly enough), but expanded it's freeways by 13% relative to Portland's 4%.

Despite that, the number of lanes/1000 people fell 10% in h-town and delays increased accordingly. But not so in Portland - why not?

The change in transit passenger percentages:

Houston: +22.5%
Portland: +82.7%

Possible conclusion: Just adding freeway lanes has diminishing returns.

 

Why are we comparing to Portland? Are they comparable in some way? The geography is different -- they have mountains and a river, and we're all flat. The economies are different and the sheer scale is different.

Also, when it comes to mass transit strategies, I believe Portland is an outlier while Houston is pretty conventional. So, a comparison is probably more meaningful for what it says about Portland than what it says about Houston.

 

I'd argue it says more about the problems with the "conventional" approach - and that is certainly meaningful for Houston.

 

Portland has a huge asterisk. It's the model for urban planning. If you take a class or major in planning, Portland is the model city in the US and Houston is generally portrayed as the worst in the US (due to having no zoning or planning laws)

Portland has very organized urban and suburban areas that are neatly connected and regulated. It makes developing a rail infrastructure (which they have been doing) much easier than Houston which is a nightmare to develop for. They have very strong land-use regulations that dont exist and will never fly in Houston

You can use this data to criticize highway development but the real problem is Houston's general lack of organization which makes highway development the only practical option unless Houston makes the decision to actually try and regulate city growth.

Houston can't be Portland. In fact it never will be. What Houston can look to is simply limit the endless suburban sprawl in the metro area. Houston itself is a huge city but when you account for all the suburbs, it starts to look ridiculous. Plus Houston's hub and spoke highway model only serves to encourage this even more.

Houston will always have suburbs but there needs to be some effort to redirect transport dollars to encourage urban density. (since zoning laws and land-use regulations are totally out of the question)

 

That sq mileage for Houston only pertains to the city limits and it's 2.1 million people. Include greater Houston and we're talking about numbers that rank at or near the top of the list in terms of size.

 

OP link?

 

I think it's time to get the hell out of Houston.

 

I live in Katy, should I evacuate...
.......
.......
.......

 

Stay there and go to Dental Art off I-10 near Katy Mills. Thanks. :grin:

 

So, is that a dentist or an art studio focused on teeth? My wife and I ask that everyday (we live in subdivision right behind there).

Good luck, man!

 

Haha, dental office. The art of dentistry or something like that, lol. Thanks, I appreciate it!

 

Do you know what's going in next to Jimmy John's? Do you take UHC?

 

Yeah, we take United...the corner next to jimmy johns is going to be a Brazilian steakhouse kind of restaurant but more fast food style. Should be opening in November. I need good lunch places around there!

 

Sweet...thanks for the info. I'll swing in and say hi when you're open.

/threadderail

 

Great post! Covers everthing I wanted to mention in here and more.

Just because we're on the subject, I wanted to show you guys a map I had seen that gives some scale to the true extent of Houston's urban sprawl:

 

No, not if you look at the urban area.