[skybrian]

I think the idea is that you build transit and the land next to the transit stops becomes more valuable. Apartment buildings get built there, shops move there, and so on. Takes a while, but in a fast-growing city it should be doable.

Also, not all transit is the same. Buses require a lot less infrastructure. If Google and Facebook can make buses work (using nicer buses), why not other big companies?

[ska]

They sort of tried this idea with the LRT running from downtown out to the medical center. The idea was that parts of midtown would revitalize around it but that didn't happen.

Houston is a fast growing city, but it grows at the outer edge. It's the only major metro I know of where you can see large multistory buildings downtown condemned and sit empty for years (decades?) just because the land isn't worth enough to anyone to redevelop.

This city is not geographically constrained, has little to no planning and no zoning. It shows, but a lot of people who live there like inexpensive detached homes even if they have to drive for almost everything.