By TeamZac
5
1212 ratings
The podcast currently has 78 episodes available.
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
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
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
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
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?
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:
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
In this episode, Chad and Pat debrief from the Utah City Managers Association conference and talk about differences in management cultures among these United States. We talk about the growing concern of a doom loop cycle in urban commercial real estate, what is a doom loop, why do they happen, and how can cities mitigate their impacts or avoid them altogether. We follow up with a conversation about how to compare and evaluate the quality of your downtowns. Finally, we chat about a recent think piece on fire departments.
00:20 - Debrief from the Utah City Managers Association Conference and differences in management culture among states
19:26 - The Urban CRE Doom Loop: What is it and how to avoid it
34:04 - How should we compare and evaluate downtowns?
35:45 - Vibe-Oriented Development
43:51 - On Fire Departments
Links
The podcast currently has 78 episodes available.