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Seanbrown8
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Thanks for doing this work Chris. The 7-23-mile band makes sense as a lot of the incremental housing units were allowed to go in growth-hungry places like Round Rock, Pflugerville, Cedar Park, Kyle, etc. (See the large area from 15-21 miles between the 2 curves on the graph.) On the flip side, near-city infill (apartments, duplexes, etx.) in places like Hyde Park, Zilker/Bouldin, Old West Austin, etc. was routinely opposed both formally (McMansion ordinance) and informally.
Commented Sep 28, 2012 on Austin's weighted density, 2000-2010 at Austin Contrarian
Austin's weighted density, 2000-2010
One of the counter-intuitive things about weighted density is, well, that it's weighted. To calculate the weighted density of, say, a metropolitan statistical area, you first calculate the density of each census tract and then assign it a weight equal to its share of the total MSA population. A ...
@Jardinero I agree with your point but I don't think this is really a distortion on the part of the Census Bureau. Take a place I have been to several times, Magnolia: in 2000 it was more of a self-contained "town" of its own while now its residents are much more likely to commute to/from Houston and the other suburbs for work/play.
Commented Sep 10, 2012 on Weighted densities of the big four Texas MSAs at Austin Contrarian
Weighted densities of the big four Texas MSAs
Standard population density is a useless statistic for metropolitan statistical areas* (MSAs) because MSAs are defined by political boundaries (county lines) and consist mostly of vacant land. But weighted density is still meaningful when applied to MSAs. Weighted density tells you something abo...
Yes, I agree with you about the Drag but the downtown stops slow the bus significantly in my experience. Last year, it took me 48 minutes to get from 5th and Congress to North Loop and Lamar, leaving at 5:20pm. In my car, even in the same congestion it would take ~25 min.
Commented Apr 6, 2011 on "Urban rail" at Austin Contrarian
"Urban rail"
The City is soliciting public comment on its draft "light rail" plan, so here's mine: Either build reserved guideway or build nothing at all. I could start from first principles here but it's better just to point you to Mike Dahmus, whose thinking matches my own. I'll still give a brief defense...
Anyway, I totally agree with Chris here - if we need more "non-reserved guideway" (i.e. road vehicle) capacity so sorely, why not just buy more buses? In fact, I could dramatically improve bus travel times TOMORROW in the central corridor. Just remove half the stops (or more). It's ridiculous to stop once every block.
Commented Apr 6, 2011 on "Urban rail" at Austin Contrarian
"Urban rail"
The City is soliciting public comment on its draft "light rail" plan, so here's mine: Either build reserved guideway or build nothing at all. I could start from first principles here but it's better just to point you to Mike Dahmus, whose thinking matches my own. I'll still give a brief defense...
North of the river, seems to be MUCH less of a substantive issue with side-street options like San Antonio. (I know, Mike - there's NO WAY it will be as good as the 2000 plan. Totally agree.)
Commented Apr 6, 2011 on "Urban rail" at Austin Contrarian
"Urban rail"
The City is soliciting public comment on its draft "light rail" plan, so here's mine: Either build reserved guideway or build nothing at all. I could start from first principles here but it's better just to point you to Mike Dahmus, whose thinking matches my own. I'll still give a brief defense...
I think he's saying that point-to-point buses (e.g. a true express bus with 1 stop) will likely be faster than light rail on the same route. This is because light rail might stop once/mile for 10 miles vs. one stop in 10 miles for the express bus. Basically you have to control for the # of stops.
Commented Apr 6, 2011 on "Urban rail" at Austin Contrarian
"Urban rail"
The City is soliciting public comment on its draft "light rail" plan, so here's mine: Either build reserved guideway or build nothing at all. I could start from first principles here but it's better just to point you to Mike Dahmus, whose thinking matches my own. I'll still give a brief defense...
Also, just want to thank you for your in-depth analysis of census-tract population changes, the underlying causes, and their implications. It's a true public service and very edifying.
Commented Apr 6, 2011 on What growth looks like in a dense neighborhood at Austin Contrarian
What growth looks like in a dense neighborhood
West Campus grew like gangbusters between 2000 and 2010. I've tried to convey how remarkable this growth truly was. In 2000, tracts 6.03 and 6.04 had 5,273 and 5,199 inhabitants, respectively. In 2010, they had 7,793 and 6,496 inhabitants, respectively. Austin's two densest neighborhoods th...
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