I'm not sure Texas cities follow anyone's model. It's really a matter of supply and demand that drives the growth of Texas cities. Most of them were built with a "suburban" model moreso than anything else.
City Development Question
Just out of curiosity what city/cities do Texas' major cities model their growth patterns after? To me it seems Dallas/Ft. Worth and Houston metros follow a Los Angeles like model. Not sure about San Antonio or El Paso. Austin is densifying at a rapid rate so maybe it'll follow more of Seattle's development pattern.This should be an interesting discussion.
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Do you think Texas cities take a unique path or follow their own model?I'm not sure Texas cities follow anyone's model. It's really a matter of supply and demand that drives the growth of Texas cities. Most of them were built with a "suburban" model moreso than anything else.
I think every city follows their own model. There are always unique factors that form a city.
Vive le difference. I doubt that 99% of Americans have strong feelings about urban form. Jobs and affordability is the new hip. And in this regard, Texas is hipster-hip.
And then they move to DFW and complain about the quality of life.Vive le difference. I doubt that 99% of Americans have strong feelings about urban form. Jobs and affordability is the new hip. And in this regard, Texas is hipster-hip.
DFW has two core cities, Dallas and Fort Worth, and tons of large(50-100,000 population) suburban municipalities like Plano and Garland and Arlington. This means most people live in an incorporated area that has zoning, and pay taxes to a full-service city that can provide basic services efficiently through economies of scale. There is more stability, and more neighborhood and local character. Developers partner with cities and can take on more long term, ambitious projects. Like what's happening in Frisco.
This is kind of like LA, and also like Phoenix.
Houston has one really, really big core city that annexed everything around it, and is perhaps too big to really be responsive to citizens living in vastly different neighborhoods(Kingwood vs. 5th Ward). It doesn't have zoning, but it does have land use regulations such as parking minimums, so it's actually kind of the worst of both worlds, People live in insular subdivisions that have a balkanized patchwork of MUD's, ESD's, and county services in addition to the HOA, so actual tax burden versus services provided is kind of hard to determine. Outside downtown and uptown the development pattern of suburban Houston is more about insular mall/town center/office clusters.
Houston is more like Atlanta in this regard.
Austin is more like Dallas, while San Antonio is more like Houston.
This is kind of like LA, and also like Phoenix.
Houston has one really, really big core city that annexed everything around it, and is perhaps too big to really be responsive to citizens living in vastly different neighborhoods(Kingwood vs. 5th Ward). It doesn't have zoning, but it does have land use regulations such as parking minimums, so it's actually kind of the worst of both worlds, People live in insular subdivisions that have a balkanized patchwork of MUD's, ESD's, and county services in addition to the HOA, so actual tax burden versus services provided is kind of hard to determine. Outside downtown and uptown the development pattern of suburban Houston is more about insular mall/town center/office clusters.
Houston is more like Atlanta in this regard.
Austin is more like Dallas, while San Antonio is more like Houston.
Great break down Zaphod!DFW has two core cities, Dallas and Fort Worth, and tons of large(50-100,000 population) suburban municipalities like Plano and Garland and Arlington. This means most people live in an incorporated area that has zoning, and pay taxes to a full-service city that can provide basic services efficiently through economies of scale. There is more stability, and more neighborhood and local character. Developers partner with cities and can take on more long term, ambitious projects. Like what's happening in Frisco.
This is kind of like LA, and also like Phoenix.
Houston has one really, really big core city that annexed everything around it, and is perhaps too big to really be responsive to citizens living in vastly different neighborhoods(Kingwood vs. 5th Ward). It doesn't have zoning, but it does have land use regulations such as parking minimums, so it's actually kind of the worst of both worlds, People live in insular subdivisions that have a balkanized patchwork of MUD's, ESD's, and county services in addition to the HOA, so actual tax burden versus services provided is kind of hard to determine. Outside downtown and uptown the development pattern of suburban Houston is more about insular mall/town center/office clusters.
Houston is more like Atlanta in this regard.
Austin is more like Dallas, while San Antonio is more like Houston.
That complaining crap works my nerves.And then they move to DFW and complain about the quality of life.
^^ It happens everywhere for different reasons.
True indeed.
I like your analysis. Our large cities are so different from each other. I like certain things about them all, and have a great time visiting each one. Based on Houston's development pattern and the multitude of highrises, I find it to be the most fascinating. I find Austin's downtown by far the most amazing, but outside of downtown, I don't find much that's exciting to me. I've lived here in north central Austin since the 70s and wouldn't mind trying one of the other cities just to experience some differences.DFW has two core cities, Dallas and Fort Worth, and tons of large(50-100,000 population) suburban municipalities like Plano and Garland and Arlington. This means most people live in an incorporated area that has zoning, and pay taxes to a full-service city that can provide basic services efficiently through economies of scale. There is more stability, and more neighborhood and local character. Developers partner with cities and can take on more long term, ambitious projects. Like what's happening in Frisco.
This is kind of like LA, and also like Phoenix.
Houston has one really, really big core city that annexed everything around it, and is perhaps too big to really be responsive to citizens living in vastly different neighborhoods(Kingwood vs. 5th Ward). It doesn't have zoning, but it does have land use regulations such as parking minimums, so it's actually kind of the worst of both worlds, People live in insular subdivisions that have a balkanized patchwork of MUD's, ESD's, and county services in addition to the HOA, so actual tax burden versus services provided is kind of hard to determine. Outside downtown and uptown the development pattern of suburban Houston is more about insular mall/town center/office clusters.
Houston is more like Atlanta in this regard.
Austin is more like Dallas, while San Antonio is more like Houston.
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