HRG,

Below is a link to a great article that was published in the recent Great Houston Partnership newsletter, highlighting HRG's recently held Public Land Use Forum. Please share this with those who were not able to attend. Let's keep educating Houston on the advantages of our market driven system of planning!

http://www.houston.org/atwork/200804/ashoustongrows.asp

Joshua Sanders
Executive Director, Houstonians for Responsible Growth

We want to invite you to a very exciting conference being held here in Houston, May 16-18 at the Omni Hotel on Woodway Drive.

Would you be surprised to hear that experts from across the nation—and around the globe—believe that Houston has a lot to teach the nation and the world?

That’s right. Our Houston is a model for the world.

In fact, a lot of the thinking about urban growth and prosperity is coming around to the idea that the kind of market-driven growth we practice is the key to a better future—and offers protection against the kind of urban decay and economic downturns that have hurt so many other major cities.

Many of these experts are coming to Houston May 16th for a three day conference called, “Preserving the American Dream.” Hosted by the American Dream Coalition, this annual conference has been held in major cities throughout the United States and has attracted a loyal following.

This year, for the first time, Houston has been chosen.

Former Mayor Bob Lanier will be the opening speaker on Friday evening and Congressman John Culberson will speak at the Saturday night dinner. National and international experts will be on hand for interesting and provocative discussions.

We have arranged for you to attend on a day-by-day basis or----you can register for the entire conference. We would hope that you could, at the very least, attend the conference on Saturday.

This conference is not to be missed. We hope that you will come and tell your friends and colleagues about it. Here is the chance to debate and discuss the real record of progress in Houston compared to other major cities around the globe.

And, our participation helps send the message to those right here in our hometown that we have a unique system of responsive planning that should not be changed without a full understanding of the consequences on our economic growth and our housing affordability. We have developments here in Houston that many other cities can only dream about.

Hope to see you. You’ll find everything you need to attend in the information below.

Mayor Bob Lanier
Leo Linbeck Jr.
Kendall Miller
Dick Weekley

http://americandreamcoalition.org/Agenda08.doc is the complete agenda

http://americandreamcoalition.org/register08.html register for all or part of the event by check

http://americandreamcoalition.org/registerpaypal08.html register for all or part of the event by credit card or PayPal

Parking is free at the Omni ONLY in the Riverway Three Garage, behind the hotel, have parking tickets stamped at the concierge desk.

Houstonians for Responsible Growth,

First and foremost, I want to express my gratitude to everyone who helped make our Land Use Public Forum held on February 26th a complete success! You, the members of HRG, were responsible for the attendance of over 500 of your colleagues and friends. A broad base of support behind our city’s continued affordability and economic success was represented including builders, developers, architects, bankers, community leaders, rental property professionals, construction excutives and many more. Special thanks to our speakers: Tory Gattis, Bob Eury, Arthur C. Nelson, Wendell Cox, David Crossley, and the Honorable Bob Lanier. Video presentations and slides from the forum are available online at:
www.houstongrowth.org/forum-videos

HRG and other organizations in Houston have managed to take the discussion of dealing with Houston’s continued growth and density into the public square. Recently, HRG has begun the formation of a Policy Committee to examine Houston’s current model of planning that has brought us such success and prosperity. The HRG Policy Committee will devote itself to finding free-market solutions to the problems that Houston will face in the future with increased density.

We at HRG believe that Houston is a model for success compared to other U.S. cities when it comes to letting the market function properly in response to demand. We hope to have your continued presence and support because without it the law of unintended consequences will take hold to the detriment of all in Houston.

Check out our website for continued updates on happenings within HRG.
www.houstongrowth.org

Joshua Sanders
Executive Director, Houstonians for Responsible Growth