In this (probably) final episode of 2024, Pat has a couple of water related articles to discuss. Join us as we talk about how groundwater use is affecting the earth's axis; how bottled water may be way less healthy than tap water; and of course, as we recap the return of Texas vs A&M after 13 long years.

00:00 - Welcome back... 
01:37 - Patrick makes excuses for A&M's performance against Texas
05:26 - National Signing Day updates
11:06 - Are we changing the earth's rotation via groundwater usage?
26:14 - Is bottled water even healthy for us?
35:17 - Unpinning an earlier item
36:46 - Remembering a friend of ZacTax
38:00 - Wrap up

Links

• Earth tilted 31.5 inches, a study finds. So whose fault is that? Humans, of course. - USA Today
• Drinking bottled water is much worse for you than water from a tap - Science Focus Magazine

Fact-checking Patrick

• "Hats off to Texas ... they physically annihilated us" - Texas A&M Coach Mike Elko
• Gunnar Helm disputes the idea that Kyle Field is super loud - Twitter
• Will Anderson says Texas "Hardest Game I've Ever Played In" - Sports Illustrated

This week's episode centers on a Texas Monthly piece titled "Why does Texas have so little public land?" Pat and Chad talk about the article and discuss whether cities can improve their development patterns and fiscal health by emphasizing the acquisition of more public space.

Topics
00:52 - Why does Texas have so little public land?
04:28 - Patrick proposes using public land acquisition to combat fiscally unproductive sprawl
07:54 - Distinguishing local parks and green space from urban growth boundaries
08:20 - Why do cities cede the public realm of our neighborhoods to the developer?
11:07 - Why is public space in single family neighborhoods often so non-functional?
13:25 - Life, then spaces, then buildings
14:34 - We've moved public amenities to the private realm
17:01 - To each his own, sans subsidy
17:32 - Should federal land be used for housing?
18:47 - Time to debate urban growth boundaries
25:08 - What causes us to ignore the pain points in our feedback loops?
29:16 - Putting odds on the State of Texas taking a role in growth boundaries
35:52 - Obligatory CFB talk

Links

• Why does Texas have so little public land (Texas Monthly / AppleNews)
• Carlton's Landing
• Jan Gehl - First life, then spaces, then buildings

On this epic episode, we welcome Chuck Marohn, founder and president of Strong Towns. Chuck's bestselling new book, Escaping the Housing Trap, kicks off the conversation, which winds its way through a variety of important issues facing cities today.

Topics
02:33 - What is the housing trap?
04:05 - Pre-Depression era housing finance
08:00 - Government response to Depression vs the 2008 Housing Crisis
13:15 - Supply and Demand vs Finance as causes of the housing crisis
16:04 - Did we get here via High Modernism or hot fixes? 
23:16 - When did we cross the Housing Trap Rubicon?
26:36 - What role does the finance market play in the housing shortage?
33:15 - Why doesn't the housing market doesn't respond to consumer needs like other markets?
35:37 - What's wrong with demand side approaches to affordability?
38:55 - The Strong Towns approach to addressing the housing trap
45:21 - How do we sell the Strong Towns approach to our community?
1:01:56 - Budgetary forests and trees
1:04:19 - Chuck's has beef with sales tax
1:18:17 - Why sales tax creates a higher burden for understanding your city's finance
1:24:38 - What role should state government's play to help city's improve their fiscal health?

Links and Notes

• Escaping the Housing Trap: The Strong Towns Response to the Housing Crisis
• Strong Towns
  • Strong Towns Events
  • Escaping the Housing Trap Tour
• Seeing Like a State by James Scott (Amazon)
• The case study on hotel supply Chuck mentioned (Twitter)
• Parkinson's Law of Triviality (Wikipedia)

On this somewhat feisty episode of ZacCast, Patrick and Chad discuss the built-in assumptions behind our development patterns, compare development in DFW and Houston, talk traffic planning, and talk about the problems with the electricity rate-making process in Texas. Stay tuned for a semi-lighting round at the end.

03:58 - Do we have some built-in assumptions about how cities grow?

21:39 - DFW vs Houston: development showdown
26:55 - Pre-approved development plans, yea or nay?
28:59 - RE: thoroughfare planning
34:40 - Electric rate-making woes
58:53 - Lightning round begins!
58:59 - Calling your shot on interest rate cuts
60:01 - Will the #1 ranked Texas Longhorns go undefeated?

Links

• One of Collin County’s largest undeveloped tracts sold for massive mixed-use project (Dallas Morning-News)
• Plano firm buys land for 2,200 homes in fast-growing northern D-FW (Dallas Morning-News)
• Definition of Tizzy (Google)

In this episode, Patrick and Chad drop some hot takes on the appraisal changes recently approved by the Tarrant Appraisal District. We talk about addressing the symptoms of the property tax system in Texas versus addressing the illness. We discuss the upcoming September sales tax allocation. And college football is back, so we spend some time talking about week 1 to wrap up the episode.

01:15 - Tarrant Appraisal District goes its own way
26:28 - Are split tax rates a way to address the illness of the Texas property tax system?
32:50 - Is building enough housing a way to address the illness? 
38:04 - Sales tax update
41:45 - What to expect if you see Patrick at a restaurant bar
52:30 - Come see us at a conference near you!
53:44 - College football is back!

Summer break is over and ZacCast is back at full strength. Today's episode is all about the economy. From macro to micro, how can cities prepare for what's next?

01:04 - Dr Evil and Mini-me
07:00 - What's the deal with the economy?
08:02 - The Sahm Rule: triggered
11:02 - August inflation numbers
14:40 - Real estate and interest rates
17:14 - Have cities already been in recession mode?
20:28 - Retail's struggles
27:58 - Electricity and insurance increases putting pressure on household budgets
34:45 - Where do we go from here?
42:20 - Has The Great Recession prepared current city managers for future downturns?
44:21 - Texas vs A&M: rekindled

Join us as we catch up and chat about life and cities in this grab bag episode:

00:10 - Patrick's waterpark excursions

02:53 - Patrick reviews Kalahari

01:40 - Is Schlitterbahn slipping?

12:09 - Kalahari vs Great Wolf Lodge

13:48 - Patrick reviews Schlitterbahn

20:41 - Fast Pass, yea or nay?

26:05 - The value of good customer service, and lessons for cities

33:48 - Good customer service -> good user experience

35:25 - What kind of city do we want to retire in?

37:03 - Pat's Poli Sci Corner

53:40 - Highway spending and decision making locus

1:01:17 - Quick July sales tax update

Links

• Sales tax momentum continues to slow across Texas (ZacTax Blog)

In this episode, Patrick and Chad look at the Scottie Scheffler arrest and subsequent dismissal of charges from the perspective of a city manager. What went wrong and how can you do better? Then we consider the legacy of the Progressive Movement's impact on city management and discuss whether the paradigm it ushered in has us thinking about cities the wrong way.

05:47 - The Scottie Scheffler mishap from a city manager's perspective
27:24 - Does our MPA train us to look at cities the wrong way?

• Social Life of Small Urban Spaces
• American Urbanist: How William H. Whyte's Unconventional Wisdom Reshaped Public Life (Amazon)

In this episode, Pat and Chad talk about inflation remaining stubborn and how cities can/should better report their infrastructure liabilities.

00:00 - on pets
01:55 - on inflation
16:10 - on assets and liabilities

On this episode, we talk about:

• The world's most expensive bathroom, the regulations that led to it, and how can we be better in our own cities?
• Houston is broke, but why? 
• McKinsey suggests automated vehicles will induce continued population expansion into outer ring neighborhoods and rural areas

Timestamps
00:22 - New TeamZac member
01:32 - Setting hiring policy on the podcast
02:55 - Generations Z and Alpha
03:51 - The difference between Pat and Chad
06:09 - The most expensive public restroom
14:31 - Can we incorporate staff accountability for getting a project done?
16:18 - The Purple Slip
19:38 - Can we just empower employees?
28:16 - Houston is broke
39:36 - On urban highway expansion
48:03 - McKinsey on the benefits of autonomous vehicles
57:47 - Could AVs eliminate the need for parking?
60:15  - AV cabs as public transportation: worst of both worlds?
62:04 - Special announcement time

Notes

• A Close Examination of the Most Infamous Public Toilet in America (NY Times)
• Houston mayor says the city is broke (Fox 26 Houston)
• Here's the real reason Houston is going broke (Strong Towns)
• Autonomous Driving's Future: Convenient and Connected (McKinsey)
• Smart Bumps