Dallas to Address Inequity in New Land Use Plan

The ForwardDallas plan is part of the city’s effort to make address exclusionary zoning practices, increase affordable housing for all residents, and bring essential businesses and services to more areas.

2 minute read

October 11, 2023, 7:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


A land use plan years in the making in Dallas seeks to redress historic inequity in the city’s land use patterns, reports Leah Waters in The Dallas Morning News. The city will now hold public meetings to receive community input on the draft plan.

The plan, known as ForwardDallas, “will be the city’s first comprehensive land-use plan, which will be one factor in future zoning decisions, including how the city will accommodate more housing for a growing population,” said interim director of Dallas’ Planning and Urban Design department Andrea Gilles.

Rather than a strict rulebook, the plan will be a guide that “will help decision-makers understand how the land should be used without restricting certain kinds of development,” according to Gilles. It will also create more clarity around land use in areas that currently have no clear development guidelines.

“ForwardDallas’ color-coded map designates 12 particular “placetypes” or kinds of uses, such as Traditional Residential, which should be used for single-family homes and auxiliary dwellings, and Blended Residential, which is meant for single-family and multifamily homes,” but none of these types are limited to just one use. The plan is designed to allow for ‘context-sensitive’ land use decisions.

“The plan also allows the community to influence the “adjacency uses” of placetypes, which would allow neighborhoods to shape how near industrial development is to their homes,” Waters adds.

Sunday, October 8, 2023 in The Dallas Morning News

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Close-up of "Apartment for rent" sign in red text on black background in front of blurred building

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program

Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

April 21, 2025 - Housing Wire

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 30, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Ken Jennings stands in front of Snohomish County Community Transit bus.

Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series

The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.

April 20, 2025 - Streetsblog USA

Close-up of white panel at top of school bus with "100% electric" black text.

Driving Equity and Clean Air: California Invests in Greener School Transportation

California has awarded $500 million to fund 1,000 zero-emission school buses and chargers for educational agencies as part of its effort to reduce pollution, improve student health, and accelerate the transition to clean transportation.

5 hours ago - California Air Resources Board

Aerial view of Freeway Park cap park over I-5 interstate freeway in Seattle, Washington at night.

Congress Moves to End Reconnecting Communities and Related Grants

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee moved to rescind funding for the Neighborhood Equity and Access program, which funds highway removals, freeway caps, transit projects, pedestrian infrastructure, and more.

6 hours ago - Streetsblog USA

"No Thru Traffic - Open Streets Restaurants" sign in New York City during Covid-19 pandemic.

From Throughway to Public Space: Taking Back the American Street

How the Covid-19 pandemic taught us new ways to reclaim city streets from cars.

7 hours ago - Next City