Description: This report discusses the economic and fiscal impacts of selected cultural events in Denton, Texas. Denton, Texas is the 11th largest city in the DFW region and located in the 29th fastest growing county in the nation. As more people continue to migrate to the North Texas region, Denton is a premier option for those looking for a community that is "north of ordinary." The abundance of cultural events hosted by Denton offers a wide range of entertainment options. Realizing the importance of these events, the City of Denton directly and indirectly provides support and services that are critical to event success. The question is what is the return to the city for incurring expenses and providing support for local cultural events? It is against this backdrop that the University of North Texas Center for Economic Development and Research was asked to examine the economic and fiscal impacts of eight selected cultural events in Denton, Texas.

Description: This report examines the impact of transit-oriented development. Transit-oriented development (TOD) is an increasingly popular urban form. Based on a survey of residents of TOD projects in areas served by Dallas Area Rapid Transit, Fort Worth T, and Capital Metro (Austin) rail transit, moving into TOD decreases VMT by an average of 15 percent, or about 3,500 miles per year, which impacts TxDOT motor fuel tax revenues. The data also indicate that these households shift their choice of route to include more arterial roads versus highways. Differential behavior is observed among the three areas studied with the greatest impact being on the DART system and the Capital Metro system showing smaller changes in TOD resident travel behaviors. Residents of TOD choose their housing based mostly on commuting distance and lifestyle characteristics, such as proximity to dining and entertainment venues. Proximity to a transit rail station is at least moderately important for 57 percent of respondents. The report recommends that TxDOT look to incorporate TOD into facility planning and design and seek ways to extract value from TOD projects.

Description: This report presents the findings of a study by the University of North Texas Center for Economic Research and Development. The study is to provide property owners in Mercado de Fort Forth with information to aid their decision making for building renovations and business investment. The study reviews several mercado-style projects in other cities, provides information on business assistance resources in the Fort Worth area, looks at ongoing plans targeted to the surrounding community, and provides details regarding qualifications for "historic" designations.

Description: This report compares the film industry incentive programs of other states with the Texas incentive program and examines their respective economic and fiscal impacts. In Texas, the economic impact of the moving media industry approached $345 million in 2007. This report also identifies strategies proposed to enhance Texas' future competitive position in the moving media industry.

Description: These appendices report on the findings of the principle investigators regarding the potential impact of the proposed Union Pacific/Southern Pacific merger on the state of Texas. This analysis was conducted by the University of North Texas Center for Economic Development and Research.