Texas maintains some the largest scale and fastest growing megapolitan areas in the United States. The state is now the hub of the world energy economy, as well as a major center for logistics, corporate headquarters, and medical research and technology. In this discussion, urban sociologist and author Robert E. Lang, Ph.D., will focus on how Texas" three megapolitan areas are linked both locally and globally. Data projected to 2040 shows continued growth in the Texas Triangle: Houston, the Dallas Metroplex and the Texas Corridor (Austin and San Antonio).The combination of these three megapolitans -- each specializing in different sectors -- make the triangle"s economy remarkably diverse and resilient. However, the state faces risks, especially in the area of human-capital investment, that could derail growth. Lang will examine key challenges and opportunities that the Texas Triangle faces as it emerges as one of the top megapolitan clusters in the nation.
Robert E. Lang is a professor of sociology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), as well as the director of Brookings Mountain West and The Lincy Institute at UNLV. He also serves as a nonresident senior fellow at The Brookings Institution and a fellow of the Urban Land Institute, both in Washington, D.C. Lang"s research specialties include suburban studies, real estate, demographic and spatial analysis, economic development, and metropolitan governance. He is the co-author of the book "Megapolitan America: A New Vision for Understanding America"s Metropolitan Geography." He has authored more than 150 academic and professional publications on a wide range of topics, and has developed many new urban planning concepts that help define the ever-changing face of American cities. Lang"s research has been featured in publications such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today and U.S. News and World Report, and has been reported on by NPR, CNN, MSNBC, FOX News and ABC World News. He received his Ph.D. in sociology from Rutgers University.
Light refreshments will be served at 5:30 p.m.
This event is co-sponsored by Rice University's James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, the Kinder Institute for Urban Research, and the Center for Houston's Future. The event is free and open to the public.