A new performing arts center in downtown Dallas is a sizeable addition to downtown. But is size actually the problem?
The article quotes a recent review of the performing arts center in the Los Angeles Times:
"What's dated here ... is the district's organizing principle – the idea that grouping together institutions for the arts and recruiting an all-star team of leading architects to design them, remains a viable means of coaxing underdeveloped urban neighborhoods to life."
Planners point to many new developments on the books that could help tie the area together.
"Ideally, the accumulation of such projects will lead to the long-hoped-for "critical mass" – the point when private funds will be attracted to downtown development without public incentives."
Read the full story: Ready for its opening act Will a revitalized city center follow? Some stress patience
Dallas moves to overhaul its zoning code
The city's zoning reform will allow more multi-family and mixed-use developments.
Air taxis to connect Texas airports to business hubs
Archer Aviation says its taxis will turn 90 minute drives into 20 minute flights.
Learning loss and urban schools, part 2
Did test scores in progressive cities drop more post-COVID than test scores in moderate ones?
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Chicago voters approve permanent festival grounds, penalty for vacant property owners
Currently, major summer and fall festivals take over public parks for weeks at a time, drawing criticism from nearby residents
NYC votes to cut outdoor dining red tape, speed up permitting
New York City also voted to allow the Department of Transportation to begin work on urgent projects before notifying elected officials.
California appears to reject Prop. 45
The proposition would have expanded the projects that qualify for a streamlined environmental review, effectively paring down the California Environmental Quality Act.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority