The ForwardDallas initiative is attempting for the Holy Grail of planning: development certainty.
The Dallas Development Code was written in 1965 and last updated in 1987, but the city’s Planning and Urban Design Department has been hard at work on an update—including “drafting a comprehensive future land use map, and digitizing boxes of paper records,” according to an article by April Towery for CandysDirt.com.
The future land use map overhaul, called ForwardDallas, launched in 2021 and is now under the leadership of Dallas planning director Julia Ryan, who has been at the helm of the department for about a year. The article devotes significant ink to allowing Ryan to discuss the challenges facing planning in Dallas, as well as the solutions enabled by ForwardDallas.
One of the key goals of ForwardDallas, according to the article, is reducing the city’s backlog of project approvals. Ryan says some of the city’s backlogs can be addressed with improved zoning—such as the city’s large amount of planning developments. “Having more than 1,200 [planned developments] is absurd. The more we can simplify zoning and increase what can be built by right, the better we can prevent [a permitting backlog] from happening again,” says Ryan, as quoted in the article.
FULL STORY: Dallas, We Have a Plan: Zoning Could Get Easier And Faster, Says Director of Planning and Urban Design
Dallas Exploring Parking Requirement Reform
Dallas relies on a formula introduced in 1965 to determine parking requirements for new developments, but city planners are studying how to update the city's development code for the future.
Dallas Launches New Comprehensive Plan Process—15 Years After ForwardDallas
The city of Dallas adopted the ForwardDallas plan in 2006, setting a grand ambition for a more walkable, transit-friendly city. Some of the work toward that vision will have to continue with the next comprehensive plan.
Dallas' First-Ever Strategic Mobility Plan Ties Land Use to New Transportation Ideas
The Connect Dallas Strategic Mobility Plan is open for public comment. Expect more big plans from Dallas soon—the ForwardDallas! comprehensive plan update will also kick off this year.
The Hyperloop’s Prospects Dim
The media is coming around to the idea that the hyperloop is not a near-term solution for the country’s transportation woes. It’s too little, too obvious, too late.
Where Housing Costs Are Falling Fastest
Although median home prices remain close to record highs in many cities, some of the country’s priciest metro areas are seeing home prices plummet.
The Great American Exodus: A Conservative's Perspective
During his keynote speech on September 11 at the National Conservatism Conference in Miami, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis describes the demographic shifts in America since he became governor in 2019 in what he calls the 'Great American Exodus.'
The Resilience of Bikeshare
The inherent simplicity of bikes makes shared mobility systems a crucial transportation option during natural disasters.
Cities Plan to Sue Over Oregon’s Parking Reforms
Nine of the 52 cities impacted by the state of Oregon’s parking requirements changes, approved earlier this year, plan to sue to stop the reforms.
Winners of the 2022 American Society of Landscape Architects
The Society’s annual awards highlight projects focused on reconnecting communities to the landscape and creating healthy community spaces.
University of Florida
Town of Mills River
City of Modesto
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Smart City Expo World Congress
California High Speed Rail Authority
City of Fargo, North Dakota
City of Crystal River
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Hand Drawing Master Plans
This course aims to provide an introduction into Urban Design Sketching focused on how to hand draw master plans using a mix of colored markers.
