The Megaregion challenge

TSU speaker urges creativity

David Crossley, Apr 03, 09.

Tagged with transportation, urban planning, cities, metro, megaregions

The Texas Triangle and the nation’s other megaregions will soon contain two-thirds of the population of the United States, according to Dr. Catherine Ross, speaking today at the 25th anniversary celebration of the transportation programs at Texas Southern University.

Ross said that, without changes in thinking about development, the great challenges facing Texas and the nation by 2050 are a doubling of travel by car and bus, congestion of airports and air space, serious environmental concerns, and massive land consumption that could leave the megaregions as relatively continuous stretches of urbanization.

In this view, the Texas Triangle, which includes Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin and San Antonio, could essentially be solid urban areas unless the Triangle’s leaders provide new levels of creativity and collaboration.

Ross noted that about 35 million people will live in the Texas Triangle by 2050. Three of the nation’s 10 largest cities are in it. She said “cultural cohesion creates the opportunity for great collaboration among the metropolitan areas.”

She called attention to the “Vision for the 21st Century” of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), which calls for investing in innovation, connecting all regions of the country, expanding opportunities, and integrating highway, rail, and port freight systems.

In related news, students and professors at Texas A&M University have created a Texas Urban Triangle web portal for their long-term study of the Texas Urban Triangle, their name for the Texas Triangle. A graphic and technical report of the Triangle is available on their website, including an Executive Summary.

[Note: Houston Tomorrow will host a conference on “Megaregions and Metroprosperity: Sustainable Economics for the Texas Triangle” in Houston September 24-25 this year. America 2050 will partner in the event, and Dr. Ross is an invited speaker. More to be announced. Save the date.]

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Mark Druskoff said:

I am editor of a growing news site (http://www.texastriangle.biz ) that covers the Texas Triangle megaregion. There are several other very good resources on the Texas Triangle are being developed spontaneously as well.

Houston Strategies… http://www.houstonstrategies.blogspot.com

The Texaplex… http://www.texaplex.com
The Texas Triangle as Megalopolis… dallasfed.org/research/houston/2004/hb0403.html

NewGeography… http://www.newgeography.com/

The Simple Economics of the Texas Triangle ... dallasfed.org/research/houston/2004/hb0401.pdf

Texas Urban Triangle… texasurbantriangle.tamu.edu/
Opportunity Urbanism ... http://www.joelkotkin.com/Urban_Affairs/GHP101.pdf

Megaregions: Literature Review of the Implications for U.S. Infrastructure Investment and Transportation Planning… http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/megaregions.htm#index

Economic Progress in the Texas Economy… dallasfed.org/research/houston/2003/hb0308.pdf

Economic Development Opportunities For U.S. Mega-Regions… http://www.angeloueconomics.com/megaregions.html

Connecting the Texas Triangle… http://www.rpa.org/pdf/temp/America 2050 Website/Healdsburg_Texas_pp_21-36.pdf

Beyond the Metroplex ... http://www.mi.vt.edu/uploads/1241_Lang Nelson Final.pdf

Austin-San Antonio Metroplex… texastriangle.blogspot.com/2007/11/southwest-metroplex.html

America 2050: Texas Triangle… http://www.america2050.org/texas_triangle.html

Megapolitan Texas by the Numbers… http://texastriangle.blogspot.com/2009/02/megas-metros-micros.html

Posted on Apr 21, 09 at 3:34 pm

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