Governing A Growing Region: Addressing Challenges of Service Provision and Development in Houston

REPORT : Oct. 25, 2018 GOVERNANCE | HOUSING | URBAN PLANNING

Suburb homes

Photo by Max Boettinger on Unsplash

This report takes a regional view to find major issues with the way our growth is governed.

Most MUDs are on firm financial footing and effectively help communities function. But, zooming out from individual communities and taking a regional view, major issues with the regional governance system appear on the horizon.

This report analyzes how government entities in the Greater Houston region are struggling to provide urban-level services to all residents, especially those in unincorporated, non-central suburban areas known as municipal utility districts. The current system of providing services is uneven.

The purpose of this report is to highlight how cities, counties and MUDs relate to one another and provide services, in order to identify issues associated with the current governance system and to provide possible alternatives where appropriate.

Photo: Max Boettinger/Unsplash

SUPPORTING MATERIALS
Municipal Utility District (MUD) Analysis Findings
Oct. 25, 2018 DOCUMENT
RELATED URBAN EDGE
Aerial view of Houston suburbs
Could A Regional Approach to Revenue Help The Houston Area's Patchwork System of Governance and Services?
RESEARCH :  Oct. 24, 2018

Regional governance in the Houston area currently produces disparities between communities and frustrates regional challenges. Regional revenue sharing offers a different approach without ceding local autonomy.

GOVERNANCE
RELATED URBAN EDGE
MUD districts within Houston's ETJ
Special Districts Helped Form Houston. But the Patchwork of Governments Also Presents A Challenge Going Forward.
RESEARCH :  Oct. 24, 2018

A patchwork of cities, counties, municipal utility districts and other jurisdictions across the region has created barriers to long-term regional prosperity, according to a new report.

GOVERNANCE | URBAN PLANNING
RELATED RESEARCH
Mapping Houston Development
Mapping Houston Development
May. 29, 2018

This dashboard uses subdivision plat data to analyze the urban growth of Harris and Fort Bend counties between 1950 and 2015.

TRANSPORTATION | URBAN PLANNING
RELATED RESEARCH
Notice of Variance Request sign
Developing Houston: Land-Use Regulation in the “Unzoned City” and its Outcomes
Sep. 11, 2017

This report lays out the existing elements of Houston’s land development system and highlights several areas where it could be improved.

URBAN PLANNING
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