Tulsa, OK made the news recently for trying to tempt remote workers with the offer of a housing stipend for a furnished apartment, a desk at a local co-working space, and—oh yeah—$10,000 in cold, hard cash, if they’ll only move to Tulsa for one full year. While far from the first place to try it—other cities and even states have lured telecommuters with everything from cash to cover relocation costs to outright student loan forgiveness—the move is still pretty novel in an age where economic development usually involves tax credits for big corporations and massive, landscape-altering construction projects. But are Tulsa’s direct-to-worker payouts a fresh, new strategy to seed their local tax rolls with rising stars, or are they just a silver-bullet boondoggle in another package?
Chuck and Kea take that exact question on in the most recent episode of Upzoned. And while Kea starts out on the fence, Chuck has an immediate and decisive gut reaction—and he’s also got some big ideas about what Tulsa and other cities considering schemes like this should do to build from here.
Then in the Downzone, Chuck and Kea talk about their December reads. While Chuck’s been neck-deep in Christmas cookie baking, he’s been indulging in his other favorite holiday hobby: adventure novels on audiobook while he rolls out the dough. And Kea’s getting a jump on her New Year’s resolution to write more fiction by studying up on the work habits of famous creative minds.
Are Cars Here to Stay?
Process Versus Visible Outcomes
Can We Build Strong Towns from Scratch in the 21st Century?
Who Should Be Able to Veto New Housing Production?
Our Fragile System Runs on Cheap Oil
Can a Houstonian Approach to Homelessness Work in L.A.?
Blaming Drivers for the Mistakes of Traffic Engineers
Free (Rural) Land: Any Takers?
Where Does Cohousing Fit in the Housing Ecosystem?
Can Corporate Campuses Urbanize the Suburban Experience?
No Insurance for Wildfire-Prone California
Weaponizing Historic Preservation
Population Growth and the Housing Crisis
Disaster Relief for America‘s Housing Crisis
The Infrastructure Bill, Racial Equity, and Local Government: How Should the Money Be Spent?
The ”Bikelash” Phenomenon (and Why It Shouldn‘t Scare Local Leaders)
”Zillow Offers”...Homes to Investors, Not Homeowners
The Gathering ”Swarm” of Small-Scale Developers
Regulating by Use
The ”Great Supply Chain Disruption”
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