tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394091530012769761.post5307867608511387054..comments2024-03-18T09:00:43.290-04:00Comments on Old Urbanist: Cross Border Urbanism: From Texas to TamaulipasCharlie Gardnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07317335121565650040noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394091530012769761.post-61871160555461636932014-05-20T10:49:22.504-04:002014-05-20T10:49:22.504-04:00Thanks anonymous -- it is not easy to find compara...Thanks anonymous -- it is not easy to find comparable figures here, especially comparing municipalities across national borders. Nonetheless, the basic point remains that the difference in incomes must be less here than between almost any other American and Mexican city, even if not to the extent I suggested. There would be a very strong incentive, if possible, to work in the US while living in Mexico, although I have no idea if that is commonly done in this region.Charlie Gardnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07317335121565650040noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394091530012769761.post-11733375794324218832014-04-10T10:48:15.677-04:002014-04-10T10:48:15.677-04:00I think you used the wrong figures which make the ...I think you used the wrong figures which make the relative wealth look more similar. As you used Real Per Capita Income for Brownsville Texas which is different to GNI per capita used for Tamaulipas. The USA has only a Real Per Capita Income of $27,319 according to your source, were as the USA has a GNI per capita of $50,000. There for I performed this calculation which will provide a rough estimate of Brownsville GNI, $50,000/$27,000 * $14,000=$26,000 which is 2.6 times bigger Tamaulipas GNI.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394091530012769761.post-52325678522515971352014-03-08T21:25:46.167-05:002014-03-08T21:25:46.167-05:00Thanks Nick -- I'm working on a follow up post...Thanks Nick -- I'm working on a follow up post trying to crunch some related numbers about small houses in the United States in the context of changes in household size. Why American (and Canadian) developers so rarely aim to construct very modest houses given what should in theory be strong demand is something I haven't been able to answer definitively, but the influence of minimum lot sizes and gold-plated infrastructure far in excess of what is needed for SFDR, as you say, may be contributing to it.<br /><br />Really enjoying your blog, BTW. Charlie Gardnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07317335121565650040noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394091530012769761.post-28246019275680729232014-03-08T21:07:52.385-05:002014-03-08T21:07:52.385-05:00It's surprising how cheap the homes are in Mat...It's surprising how cheap the homes are in Matamoros. The standard $100/sf used to estimate construction costs in the United States doesn't apply. The example you gave is only $37/sf.<br /><br />I wouldn't be surprised if the higher density saved a few tens of thousands just for local infrastructure though (streets and utilities), not to mention more savings on regional infrastructure (highways, arterials, fire protection). <br /><br />I certainly thing an old urbanist development pattern could have a huge change on the dynamics in Toronto. Buying a small house newly built 1000sf house doesn't sound so appealing if you're going to pay $350k vs $500k for a 2000sf house. However, if you can get a 1000sf house with similar lot size as in Matamoros, with the old urbanist pattern of development, it would surprise me if you could do that for around $170k in Toronto (greenfield). The 2000sf size might be more around $400k with say, a 2500 sf lot and narrow streets. If you're going to dedicate so much land and construction related resources on wide streets, plus driveways and garages, plus mandatory front setbacks, you might as well go for the whole package, with double garage, double width driveway, moderate sized backyard (1000 sf), 5 beds, 5 baths with jacuzzis, marble floors...NickDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07006815196885883516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394091530012769761.post-60059704877820473392014-03-05T07:11:57.772-05:002014-03-05T07:11:57.772-05:00This was really interesting. Thanks! I didn'...This was really interesting. Thanks! I didn't know the housing prices could be so divergent in a the same urban area - all those zoning laws and housing regulations make a difference!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394091530012769761.post-10539509055203000812014-02-25T20:03:13.827-05:002014-02-25T20:03:13.827-05:00Maybe we can learn something from observing how ot...Maybe we can learn something from observing how others do things. The concept of "mixed use" urban areas once was common here in the USA. This was back in a time where you didn't need a car to go or do anything! I can recall walking to various stores to buy things back in the 1940's and 1950's. Today of course this sort of social order no longer exists. Which I do think is a loss that only us old people understand.Jerryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13709250497980209138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394091530012769761.post-91066614928207014462014-02-25T01:38:19.826-05:002014-02-25T01:38:19.826-05:00We made a few family trips through Mexico when I w...We made a few family trips through Mexico when I was a kid, including Matamoros, and they were extremely formative in my life-long interest in urbanism. They were totally unlike the American places I'd experienced up to that point.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com