As he so often does, Joel Kotkin offers some great thoughts on an urban issue. His latest commentary “Trust market to shape the new Houston” in the Houston Chronicle, is subtitled Planners’ nightmare is a dream come true in creating an exuberant, workable hodgepodge. It opens:
When speaking on urban issues, one reliable way to draw derisive comments is to mention Houston. Perhaps no major city in America has a worse reputation among planners, urban aesthetes and smart growth advocates. Yet, to a remarkable extent, Houston may well defy its critics ââ?¬â?? not only by continuing to expand, but by constructing a new and dynamic model of American urbanism that transcends all the worn clichÃ?s about ”sprawl” and the burgeoning city’s inability to attract educated workers.