University of Houston political science professor Jeronimo Cortina said the county could reach over 2 million residents by 2050.
A new report was released detailing what Fort Bend County can do to maintain its projected substantial population growth by 2050. Drive through parts of Fort Bend County, and it's hard not to see the growth.
In Fulshear, Census figures show it's the second-fastest-growing city in the country.
"In 2050, we're going to have 2 million," University of Houston political science professor Jeronimo Cortina said. "We need to be prepared for that. " Cortina has been working on the report for 8 months. To handle that number of people, Cortina said the county needs to focus on water, power, and of course, traffic.
"It's not only, 'Let's build more roads,' yes, we need more roads, but we need to think about other strategies in terms of transportation that allow people to move more or less stress-free," Cortina explained. Last year, it grew to 330,000. By 2030, the report shows it could climb to nearly 380,000 homes. New development, Cortina says, not just in Fulshear.
With new toll roads, he says, expect to see growth in places like Thompsons, Fairchilds, and Orchard. Cortina said the county should embrace agriculture, not just because of its past, but it helps mitigate flooding, and could provide growing areas with food.
"I think that the county can be a leader in terms of having that production," Cortina explained. "Producing fresh products that could be used in a lot of places that do not have access to a supermarket. " Researchers say ways to address traffic congestion could include light rail or a gondola system, which the city of Sugar Land is considering. They said it's also about attracting more industries here.
This way, people can live in Fort Bend County and work there too.19 minutes ago
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