The Case for a Dense Core
Steve Belmont, AIA:

Transit, Location Efficiency, and Transit-Oriented Development
Hank Dittmar:

Financing Mixed Use Progressive Development
Chris Leinberger:

Houston, we have an opportunity
Dr. Arthur C. Nelson, ASCE, FAICP

Developers' Panel

Public Policy Panel

Entire report - pdf - 2 meg

Presentations
Steve Belmont- 14 meg
Hank Dittmar- 19 meg
Chris Leinberger- 18 meg
Arthur Nelson - 8 meg
Jeff Taebel- 3 meg
John Jacob- 3.5 meg
David Crossley- 9 meg

Introduction

Houston will add 3.6 million people, or the entire population of Los Angeles, over the next 25 years, said Jeff Taebel, director of community and environmental planning at the Houston-Galveston Area Council. His growth forecast kicked off the Density by Design conference raising the essential question of how the region is going to accommodate that growth.

John Jacob, director of the Texas Coastal Watershed program, noted that the gathering’s essential purpose was to explore new ways to accommodate such growth. Jacob pointed out that the current way of growing is inefficient and threatens the region’s natural capital. “Pattern of development is the single most important part of preserving our natural environment,” he said.

With the existing low-density development patterns, Jacob said an additional 1,000 square miles of land would be consumed by the millions moving to the region over the next 20-30 years. He added that if two million of the expected growth was inside the Loop, the region would save 500 square miles of land and generate much wealth and creativity.

David Crossley, president of the Gulf Coast Institute, placed the growth forecasts in perspective. Today, he said, the eight-county Houston region houses 4.9 million people. Crossley said that population will grow to some 8 million by 2040, or the current population of New York City. However, NYC, Crossley pointed out, fits as many people in a small fraction of the space, while supporting both city and suburbs and providing more park space per capita than any other American city. In fact, nine major cities - Boston, Baltimore, Cleveland, Denver, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Washington DC, Miami, and St. Louis – will fit inside the City of Houston and their total population is 4.7 million inhabitants, 2.7 million more than Houston.

The type of population growth we are going to have should be an important planning factor, says Crossley. In recent years, all of Houston and Harris County’s growth have been foreign immigrants. The area has actually experienced a net loss of domestic residents. The trend is expected to continue, and furthermore Harris County is expected to experience a 275 percent growth in the number of senior citizens. Twenty percent of the driving age population today does not drive. Much of the growing population will not drive or can not drive, yet current transportation plans primarily revolve around accommodating the car, Crossley said.