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Which of the BIG 4 of Houston, Miami, Dallas and Atlanta has the most untapped potential, in terms of getting into that next level of an LA, SF and Chicago and jumping into that next tier of global cities.
Can Charlotte be in that convo as well, or is it a bit too premature?
What are we judging them by? In terms of being a full fledged urban environment like NYC, Philly, or SF I don't see them ever becoming one until they cut down on their sprawl or they'll continue to grow out.
What are we judging them by? In terms of being a full fledged urban environment like NYC, Philly, or SF I don't see them ever becoming one until they cut down on their sprawl or they'll continue to grow out.
I get urban when I think of a city area being a cohesive unit like cities such as SF, Chi-town, or NYC and not just a collection of suburbs formed around a business district that only serves as a place to work. That's just one among other things.
And to answer the question, the only south of the maxon dixie line that I think will become a mega city is DC with the areas outside of the city limits starting to resemble boroughs:
Miami is kinda confined I think it will max out at about 8M
ATL is very spread out, I doubt it will be able to keep its charm with too many more people. I think it will max out at 8.5M people
DFW does not have as big economic drivers as Houston in terms of the Sea-Port, Energy and Medicine. I think it will max out at 9M
Houston's trade, manufacturing, Energy sector and Medical sector are all booming. All Mega Cities are either lined to a Sea Port or a Capital City. Houston and Miami have sea Ports but Houston has more room to grow, and is prepared for the Boom in shipping that the expansion of the Panama Canal will bring.
These eastern ports are hoping the canal expansion will signal the end of an era — the end of the so-called West Coast Empire. Ports such as Savannah, Ga., New Orleans, Houston and New York City are preparing for this change by pouring billions of dollars over the next few years into infrastructure development, while the ports of the West Coast walk a fine line between confidence and caution in the face of what may be the single largest threat to their livelihoods ever.
“The West Coast has done well with Asian trade over the last 30 years,” said Port of New Orleans spokesman Matt Gresham. “This will make things more competitive.”
And in an industry where one port can generate billions of dollars in state and local tax revenues and affect the lives of more than 3 million industry-related employees throughout the U.S., any change is a big deal.
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“Ports are the heart of logistics,” Bachkar said. “There are many direct and indirect jobs associated with the activity of the port.”
“You’re talking about shippers," he explained, “you’re talking about freight, you’re talking about brokers, you’re talking about banks, you’re talking about warehouses — and all those stakeholders are related to the activity of the port.”
For example, the Port of Los Angeles generates 919,000 regional jobs and $39.1 billion in wages and tax revenues each year, according to the port’s marketing division.
The Port of New Orleans claims around 380,000 jobs and $37 billion in national economic output are related to cargo passing through the port each year.
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A 2012 economic impact study showed that more than 1.1 million jobs in Texas and nearly $179 billion of annual statewide economic activity were in some way related to cargo moving through the port.
Houston may see a huge boom in Port related jobs, and more jobs mean more people.
Companies are already buying up land near the ship channel where they are building Huge warehouses.
Logistics are big industries in DFW and ATL, but they are highly dependent on other Cities. Dallas sees lots of traffic from the Port of LA and Houston, and ATL gets a lot of traffic from the Port of Savannah.
ATL, metro growth has slowed down but I think the Panama Canal Expansion and the medical Industry will fuel Houston's growth over the next decade. Chambers county in Houston's metro is huge and empty, I see a lot of growth potential in that county. I think it has only 35K people but is 600 square miles. That county can easily hold a flood of people and is near the Port.
I don't really see any area that can hold a flood of people in Miami.
In Fact the Houston area is made up of 10 counties and 9 of them have Densities below 1000ppsm (the County Houston is in is the only one above 1000). From the 10, there are 7 with densities below 500ppsm, and 5 of them that are less than 75 people per square mile. Which means that Houston has lots of room to grow.
Bringing the area to Mega city won't stress the area much, it would just bring the average Density to 1000 ppsm which is still boonies density. Miami's UA is already to the max of the useable land and its Density is one of the highest in the US, I really don't see the area being able to hold that much more people
I get urban when I think of a city area being a cohesive unit like cities such as SF, Chi-town, or NYC and not just a collection of suburbs formed around a business district that only serves as a place to work. That's just one among other things.
You're not describing these cities very well. It surely isn't Houston.
The South is by far the hardest region to ask a question like this since there is no stand alone city that separates itself from the pack. Most would agree that the top tier cities in the South are Houston, Atlanta, Dallas, and Miami. All of them have pros and cons as to which one has to most potential to become a mega city.
Atlanta Pros: fastest growing area; stand alone city with no major cities nearby to compete with; considered by many as the unofficial "Capitol of the South" Cons: small city limits; bad infrastructure; seems to can't keep up with its rapid growth.
Houston Pros: low cost of living; great diversity, large city limits(can still build out), great business environment; great economy, lots of Fortune 500 companies. Cons: too much sprawl within it's city limits; sharing the same state as Dallas(which takes away resources); horrible mass transit for a city of its size; arguably the least urban top 5 city in the history of America.
Dallas Pros: largest MSA in the South; very business friendly; pretty good economy; low cost of living. Cons: has to compete with cities in it's own MSA; sharing the same state as Houston(which takes away resources); transportation not up to par with other major cities.
Miami Pros: Most internationally recognized, great weather year round. Cons: City and MSA are built out; high cost of living; horrible public schools, has the least potential of the other cities mentioned.
Last edited by gwillyfromphilly; 08-03-2012 at 02:07 AM..
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