Tory Gattis asks the right questions regarding Houston’s latest proposed urban boondoggle, but it’s at least somewhat comforting to know that other cities are pondering even bigger boondoggles.
In Chicago, Mayor Richard Daley is floating a plan to build a new $1 billion dollar domed stadium to attract a second NFL team, the Super Bowl, the 2016 Olympic Games, the NCAA Final Four, and perhaps an unending string of monster truck shows to the Windy City. Brad Humphreys over at the Sports Economist comments on the absurdity of this proposal:

For those with short attention spans, Soldier Field, home of the NFL’s Chicago Bears, underwent a $365 million dollar publicly financed renovation in 2002. But someone forgot to enlarge Soldier Field and build a roof during the renovation. Its 61,500 seat capacity is second smallest in the NFL, and too small to host the opening and closing ceremonies at the Olympics.

Daley’s plan appears to have a few minor flaws. First, the expansion is news to the NFL, which currently has zero franchises in mega media market Los Angeles and the itinerant Saints franchise to deal with. Second, the plan appears to also be news to the Bears, who might have a vested interest in maintaining a monopoly in the Chicago market. Note to hizzonor: next time check the NFL expansion regs before making plans to acquire a new football franchise.
Of course, part of the justification for this new stadium is – wait for it – a fountain of economic benefits flowing from the proposed facility. According to one of the mayor’s aids, among the expected economic benefits flowing from the new stadium would be “thousands of new jobs and new infrastructure.” Unfortunately, there is not one shred of evidence that sports facilities generate tangible net economic benefits like more jobs.

In fairness, Houston does have even bigger potential boondoggles than its latest relatively small one, and even has an existing one in the black hole that is Metro. However, at least Houston’s pouring of money into that bottomless pit is downright economic compared to the money that Seattle residents are tossing into theirs:

The light-rail system, as now projected, will have far fewer stations, be far shorter, take years longer to build, and cost billions more than originally promised. What experts already knew–that light rail is unsuited to cities where tunneling and water crossings are necessary–is now apparent. Big engineering problems have arisen. Yet [local politicians] have kept big money flowing to the project.
Washington state law provides that transit agencies and regional transit authorities may operate rail service where it is competitive in cost with bus, bus rapid transit and other technologies. . . [however] Both Sound Transit’s light rail and its intercity Sounder service have cost far more than alternatives, the prices of which were not presented.
Rail Madness came via ballot measure–the form of direct democracy tailor-made for willful, well-financed single-issue and single-interest coalitions to get what they want. Local law firms, financial institutions, unions, consultants, architects, builders and others who receive project-related public funds have formed a strong alliance with local politicians who keep those rails a hummin’. Taxpayer funds even pay for print and broadcast ads hyping the projects.
While Rail Madness prevails, more urgent transportation priorities are not being met . . .

Can Rail Madness reach those levels in Houston? You better believe it.