Globally, mass timber construction projects are expected to reach more than 24,000 by 2034. So far, at least 134 mass timber projects are in progress or completed in Texas. The first such project was a six-story office building in downtown San Antonio.
Economy
Get the latest on jobs, business, growth, and policy shaping the state’s economy with in-depth reporting from The Texas Tribune.
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Climate Change in Texas
Texas economy slows as summers get hotter, Dallas Fed economists say
The summer heat may have cost the state’s economy $24 billion this year, according to Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas economists, who add that Texas is twice as vulnerable to heat-related economic slowdowns than the rest of the country.
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New Texas Laws 2023
Texas needs water workers. Will high school students answer the call?
Nearly two-thirds of the state’s water and wastewater agencies say they need more workers.
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Economy
In trying to close its coal power plant, Austin encounters obstacles to going green
The city approved a plan in 2020 to shut the Fayette Power Project plant with the aim of eliminating carbon emissions. But political, economic and technological forces have gotten in the way.
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Economy
Looking for an economic rebound, an East Texas town looks to the arts — and is rebuffed by the state
A town of 34,000 people, Lufkin sits deep in the Piney Woods, a region dotted with rural towns. Local civic leaders hope a long list of efforts can revitialize the city’s downtown and reboot its economy.
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Economy
As Texans struggle with housing costs, cities look for new ways to spur more home construction
In cities dominated by single-family neighborhoods, local leaders across Texas want a broader variety of housing to combat the affordability crisis.
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Economy
Printing a place to live: In Central Texas, homes are being built with emerging 3D technology
Using robotic 3D printers that can build the concrete walls of a house, a pair of Texas startups say the technology could help alleviate two crises: the housing shortage and climate change.
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Economy
Texas will have an $18.6 billion surplus and avoid a recession, comptroller projects
The updated comptroller’s report raises the amount of revenue available to the state over the 2024-25 cycle to $194.6 billion.
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Economy
A generation of Texas farmers are retiring. It’s not clear who will replace them.
After 70 years on the farm, Jimmy Drake retired from the cotton business. With no family stepping up to take over the farm, he turned to a young neighbor.
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Demographics
Texas’ unemployment rate is among the nation’s worst — but experts say it signals a growing economy
The state has yet to return to its pre-pandemic unemployment rate of about 3.5%, even as it leads the country in new jobs created. However, state economic experts say the unemployment rate is an indicator of Texas’s rapidly growing population and labor force.