Observer music writers Pete Freeman and Daniel Hopkins debate the affects of suburban sprawl on the local music scene.
Dallas' Deep Ellum neighborhood used to be a vibrant, dense music center where all the musicians lived and played.But since the 1990s, the Deep Ellum scene has deteriorated and suburban locations have fostered their own smaller and disconnected scenes.
"The talent, really, is quite spread out." says Freeman.
"You could argue, for sure, that all this is a terrible, terrible thing. That it'd be better if it were a more dense scene. That a more dense Dallas, with an embraced arts scene, could become some sort of Richard Florida-inspired utopia. That North Texas inherently suffers from the fact that it's so spread out. That it's not all more easily accessible...."
FULL STORY: Point/Counterpoint The Conversation: What Role Do The Suburbs Play in the Greater Dallas Music Scene?

Good Planning Under Bad Leadership
Planners must sometimes work under bad leadership. Here are suggestions for responsive planning in challenging political environments.

Legendary Parking Guru Donald Shoup Dies at 86
Urbanists are mourning the loss of a dynamic voice for parking reform and walkable cities.

Amtrak Cascades Line Breaks Ridership Record
The route linking Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver, BC served nearly one million riders in 2024.

Over 71K Office-to-Apartment Units in the Pipeline for 2025
Adaptive reuse projects are continuing to bring thousands of new housing units onto the market as demand for office space remains low.

How Houston Can Be a Model for Housing Reform
The city builds more new housing than almost any other and has dramatically reduced homelessness, yet low-income families struggle to find affordable housing.

Delivering for America Plan Will Downgrade Mail Service in at Least 49.5 Percent of Zip Codes
Republican and Democrat lawmakers criticize the plan for its disproportionate negative impact on rural communities.
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.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Brookings
City of White Salmon
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service