The Economic and Community Impact of ACCION Texas Microlending
Value-Capture Impacts of Transit-Oriented Development
Medical Emergency: Costs of Uncompensated Care in Southwest Border Counties
Film and Visual Media in Austin, Texas
The following case studies illustrate some of the ways TXP's efforts have assisted our clients in creating meaningful change.
........................................................................................................
The Economic and Community Impact of ACCION Texas Microlending
Microenterprise programs provide small loans to entrepreneurs who need working capital to grow their businesses. Why and how are these programs valuable to the community? TXP was hired by ACCION Texas, a division of the largest microlender in the country, to examine the effects of microenterprise on the State of Texas.
The study found that since inception, ACCION Texas lending created $35.5 million in total economic activity statewide, as well as providing additional positive effects on labor compensation, new jobs created, and new state and local tax revenue. Microenterprise programs such as ACCION also help avoid social costs such as welfare and food stamps. To quote from the study:
The impact of ACCION and its lending programs on the Texas economy and individual communities is clear, as the capital and knowledge that ACCION provides translates into economic activity, income, jobs, and tax revenues for both the state and local governments. Beyond the economic impacts, ACCION programs help individuals escape poverty, avoid other social problems, build self-esteem, and secure the economic future for their families.
The study was instrumental in ACCION Texas securing a $105,000 grant from a Texas-based foundation. Later, TXP was retained to update the study which was incorporated into a report by the Federal Reserve of Dallas.
........................................................................................................
Value-Capture Impacts of Transit-Oriented Development
The mix of land uses and physical context of a community can have a significant impact on underlying real estate values, which in turn can make a tremendous difference in the overall value of the local tax base. As part of a larger, multi-disciplinary team, TXP estimated the potential land use and tax base impacts of developing approximately 2,000 acres in Leander, Texas in close proximity to potential new toll road and commuter rail capacity.
Development was proposed under two scenarios: traditional suburban and mixed-use urban village that entails both greater density and a larger amount of green space and civic use. Assumptions on land use by acre, estimated unit values, and density were developed as part of an interactive planning process involving local public officials and planning staff, real estate professionals experienced with a variety of development styles, and professional planners and economists. As quoted by TXP President Jon Hockenyos in the Austin American Statesman:
"It's an extremely exciting opportunity - you're talking about a different way of doing development in the suburbs. I think it's going to be the first one of its kind in this area. As the idea of transit-oriented and urbanist development spreads out from the central city, I think it'll benefit the whole region. It's certainly going to be much denser, and the market values are going to be much higher, and more durable."
Once fully built, the community is estimated to generate about $1.8 billion in taxable value for the city, which is 80 percent more than if the land were developed as a traditional suburban development. Phase two of the project involved creation of an incentive program to foster the economic development of the project.
........................................................................................................
Medical Emergency: Costs of Uncompensated Care in Southwest Border Counties
TXP and MGT of America collaborated on a study examining the cost of providing emergency health services to undocumented immigrants in U.S. southwest border counties. According to the study:
Southwest border counties are facing a medical emergency. A score of federal and state policies, such as declining federal Medicaid reimbursements and rising professional liability insurance costs, are contributing to an imminent health care crisis. As the number of undocumented immigrants in the country has escalated, state and local governments have increasingly stepped up to the plate to cover the cost of uncompensated care. The disproportionate burden placed on these counties for providing emergency healthcare services is compounding an already alarming state of affairs.
Funded by a federal grant to the United States/Mexico Border Counties Coalition, the project required detailed quantitative analysis of medical and health data to develop a statistically valid estimate of related costs. The study led to the subsequent provision of $1 billion in federal funding to offset these costs on the Border and throughout the nation.
........................................................................................................
Film and Visual Media in Austin, Texas
Within the U.S., more and more states and cities are setting their sights on carving out a piece of the visual media production pie historically dominated by California. In light of this increasingly competitive environment, it was crucial that the City of Austin maintain its focus on growing the local visual media industry. TXP was engaged by the City to analyze the impact of film and visual media on the local economy, and to make policy recommendations designed to assist these industries. According to the study:
There is no doubt that film and film-related activity make a very positive contribution to the Austin area economy, as the total impact extends into the hundreds of millions of dollars annually, while supporting thousands of jobs. That having been said, the non-measurable impacts may be even greater. Much energy and effort in the recent past has gone into analyzing the reasons that the "creative class" finds Austin so appealing, with the widespread availability of unusual and/or indigenous visual media clearly a major piece of the puzzle.
In response to one of the recommendations in the study, the City of Austin created a website (Click Here) designed to make it easier for the film and visual media industry to obtain information about how to do business with the City. The City has also applied for a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce to fund improvements to a local film studio.
The Economic and Community Impact of ACCION Texas Microlending
Microenterprise programs provide small loans to entrepreneurs who need working capital to grow their businesses. Why and how are these programs valuable to the community? TXP was hired by ACCION Texas, a division of the largest microlender in the country, to examine the effects of microenterprise on the State of Texas.
The study found that since inception, ACCION Texas lending created $35.5 million in total economic activity statewide, as well as providing additional positive effects on labor compensation, new jobs created, and new state and local tax revenue. Microenterprise programs such as ACCION also help avoid social costs such as welfare and food stamps. To quote from the study:
The impact of ACCION and its lending programs on the Texas economy and individual communities is clear, as the capital and knowledge that ACCION provides translates into economic activity, income, jobs, and tax revenues for both the state and local governments. Beyond the economic impacts, ACCION programs help individuals escape poverty, avoid other social problems, build self-esteem, and secure the economic future for their families.
The study was instrumental in ACCION Texas securing a $105,000 grant from a Texas-based foundation. Later, TXP was retained to update the study which was incorporated into a report by the Federal Reserve of Dallas.
........................................................................................................
Value-Capture Impacts of Transit-Oriented Development
The mix of land uses and physical context of a community can have a significant impact on underlying real estate values, which in turn can make a tremendous difference in the overall value of the local tax base. As part of a larger, multi-disciplinary team, TXP estimated the potential land use and tax base impacts of developing approximately 2,000 acres in Leander, Texas in close proximity to potential new toll road and commuter rail capacity.
Development was proposed under two scenarios: traditional suburban and mixed-use urban village that entails both greater density and a larger amount of green space and civic use. Assumptions on land use by acre, estimated unit values, and density were developed as part of an interactive planning process involving local public officials and planning staff, real estate professionals experienced with a variety of development styles, and professional planners and economists. As quoted by TXP President Jon Hockenyos in the Austin American Statesman:
"It's an extremely exciting opportunity - you're talking about a different way of doing development in the suburbs. I think it's going to be the first one of its kind in this area. As the idea of transit-oriented and urbanist development spreads out from the central city, I think it'll benefit the whole region. It's certainly going to be much denser, and the market values are going to be much higher, and more durable."
Once fully built, the community is estimated to generate about $1.8 billion in taxable value for the city, which is 80 percent more than if the land were developed as a traditional suburban development. Phase two of the project involved creation of an incentive program to foster the economic development of the project.
........................................................................................................
Medical Emergency: Costs of Uncompensated Care in Southwest Border Counties
TXP and MGT of America collaborated on a study examining the cost of providing emergency health services to undocumented immigrants in U.S. southwest border counties. According to the study:
Southwest border counties are facing a medical emergency. A score of federal and state policies, such as declining federal Medicaid reimbursements and rising professional liability insurance costs, are contributing to an imminent health care crisis. As the number of undocumented immigrants in the country has escalated, state and local governments have increasingly stepped up to the plate to cover the cost of uncompensated care. The disproportionate burden placed on these counties for providing emergency healthcare services is compounding an already alarming state of affairs.
Funded by a federal grant to the United States/Mexico Border Counties Coalition, the project required detailed quantitative analysis of medical and health data to develop a statistically valid estimate of related costs. The study led to the subsequent provision of $1 billion in federal funding to offset these costs on the Border and throughout the nation.
........................................................................................................
Film and Visual Media in Austin, Texas
Within the U.S., more and more states and cities are setting their sights on carving out a piece of the visual media production pie historically dominated by California. In light of this increasingly competitive environment, it was crucial that the City of Austin maintain its focus on growing the local visual media industry. TXP was engaged by the City to analyze the impact of film and visual media on the local economy, and to make policy recommendations designed to assist these industries. According to the study:
There is no doubt that film and film-related activity make a very positive contribution to the Austin area economy, as the total impact extends into the hundreds of millions of dollars annually, while supporting thousands of jobs. That having been said, the non-measurable impacts may be even greater. Much energy and effort in the recent past has gone into analyzing the reasons that the "creative class" finds Austin so appealing, with the widespread availability of unusual and/or indigenous visual media clearly a major piece of the puzzle.
In response to one of the recommendations in the study, the City of Austin created a website (Click Here) designed to make it easier for the film and visual media industry to obtain information about how to do business with the City. The City has also applied for a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce to fund improvements to a local film studio.
