HOUSTON | Building on the Flood Plain

Houston in the wake of Harvey, August 30, 2017.

Houston with ring roads like the 610 can get people in and out (in good weather) quickly from areas that have little apparent land value. 

That’s where a lot of low-income and subsidized housing is built — I’d say most of it. 

They have little land value because they are intentionally placed in floodplains. The Feds still provide funding to rebuild after floods because that’s where the city wants low income housing. Climate change may well be playing a role, of course, but the city fathers are clear that they do not care to pay for massive infrastructure to handle flooding. If you look at the views of the flooded city, you’ll note that the bayous and streams are where they built most of the road infrastructure. – Josh Vincent, Director of the Center for the Study of Economics.