.:.TexasTriangle: megaregional

Wednesday

Texas Economy Round-up

Texas in the Spotlight> New article in The Economist highlights Texas' super growth .:. http://bit.ly/tWaM9
Black Gold Winners> Texas, along with OK and AK, should rebound first say economists thanks to energy's strength .:. http://bit.ly/YbIsE
More Good News> Brookings Study shows Texas metros are among the 20 strongest economies in nation .:. http://bit.ly/cvkCE
Alamo City Economy> S.A. public companies right the ship .:. http://bit.ly/1M3cfq
Focus for Foreign Investment> #AlamoCity lures investors, like Mexico-friendly culture and stable real estate values.:. http://bit.ly/Lg6ZX
The One that Got Away> #AlamoCity losing AT&T's HQ really a good thing? Could be. .:. http://bit.ly/3lKnMs
Texas T-Bone Rail Link> High-speed rail funding may bypass Texas.:. http://bit.ly/AAVB1
"It doesn't hurt to ask"> Texas asks Federal gov to have common sense regarding high speed rail .:. http://bit.ly/3Qq0Nb
Say What?> Growing cities, shrinking suburbs, not just Texas but nationally .:. http://bit.ly/XobNQ
Census Data> Latest county-based data available .:. http://bit.ly/ZeymG
Keep Austin Loud> ATX's music scene cited in article on downtowns and civic hubs.:. http://bit.ly/szZXH
Derailing Rail Plans> RT @alanhuynh @cleancartalk: High-Speed Trains Cost Too Much To Be Worth Building -- Harvard Prof http://bit.ly/TnpMi
Neck and Neck> Dallas and Houston tie for 9th place on Inc. 500 top metro area list .:. http://bit.ly/S5alb

Megapolitan Round-up

Megapolitan America> Where the next 100 million people will live .:. http://bit.ly/cyn9V
22nd Century America> U.S. home to 600 million by 2109, says Metropolitan Institute; South and West will boom.:. http://bit.ly/FCWM4
Population Boom> U.S. 3rd most populous country; by 2050, 439 million people will live here .:. http://bit.ly/XSpPb
Arcologies for Innovation> Nations invest big in research & tech parks to attract corporations .:. http://bit.ly/1oTWPu
Ur-Mega> Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is a harbinger of things to come; Austin and San Antonio best watch out .:. http://bit.ly/1CQ2OL

Las Vegas is to L.A. as New Orleans is to...

California's high speed rail line plan offers useful analogy

Sometimes in wrestling with big complex ideas, it is useful to find analogies to cut through the clutter. Analogies can be rife with potential problems, but sometimes, just sometimes, they help make important factors crystal clear.

Take, for example, California's announcement to add Las Vegas to its planned high-speed rail line. The item that jumped out at me was that Californianos were, wisely, not going to include the rail spur in their initial plan. The Houston Chronicle reported that the Golden State has bigger fish to fry, like connecting up its commercial and economic centers along the coast.

Las Vegas for its all its real estate boomy-ness and over-the-top spectacle is not part and parcel to the everyday life of California. It's an escape from it. Here's where the analogy comes in. I'd argue a similar relationship exists between Houston and New Orleans.

That's why the Federal high speed rail plan makes so little sense. (See "Mind the Gap") It leaves Houston disconnected from its real-and-true business partners along the I-35: San Antonio, Austin, Dallas and Fort Worth. Everyday highly paid professionals commute back and forth between these cities - to work.

Thankfully there are Texans out there pushing for a more reasonable high speed rail solution, in particular, The Texas High Speed Rail and Transportation Corporation. That organization is collaborating with others to pitch the Federal government on the Texas T-Bone plan. If any high speed rail is to be built, let's hope at least the money is spent on something meaningful. .:.