Originally designed to spur investment in the city’s most underserved areas, Houston’s tax increment reinvestment zones (TIRZs) have been a major part of its growth strategy since the 1990s. But they may actually be disproportionately benefiting affluent communities — and shifting the burden of municipal expenses to lower-income neighborhoods.
Center for Public Finance fellows John Diamond and Bill King, who recently coauthored a Baker Institute report on the topic, joined Baker Briefing to discuss the issue and policy options moving forward.
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This conversation was recorded on Dec. 3, 2024. A transcript of this episode is available here. This text was AI-generated and has not been through editorial review.
Discussants
John W. Diamond, Ph.D.
Edward A. and Hermena Hancock Kelly Senior Fellow in Public Finance and Director, Center for Public Finance, Baker Institute
Bill King
Fellow in Public Finance, Baker Institute
The Honorable David M. Satterfield
Director, Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy; Janice and Robert McNair Chair in Public Policy
Baker Briefing is a podcast that tackles the most critical foreign and domestic policy issues of the day in conversations with experts at the Baker Institute. Hosted by the Honorable David M. Satterfield, director of the Baker Institute, new episodes are released weekly.
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