An expose has uncovered the 'cloak-and-dagger tactics' being utilized in a $1 million campaign to defend Dallas's Museum Tower luxury condo building from claims that glare from its glass skin is a nuisance to the Nasher Sculpture Center.
"According to his Facebook page, Brandon Eley is from the Bronx, studied at Brooklyn College and now lives in Dallas."
"But Eley isn’t real."
"His fake Facebook profile is part of a more than $1 million legal and public relations campaign waged by the Dallas Police and Fire Pension System in its battle with the Nasher Sculpture Center over Museum Tower," report Steve Thompson and Gary Jacobson, who outline how a former television anchorman worked on behalf of the pension system (the building's owners) to manipulate public opinion about the tower's harmful glare through online comments.
"A housecleaning is in order at the Dallas Police and Fire Pension System, the tower’s tax-supported owner, starting with administrator Richard Tettamant and anyone complicit in the counterfeit Internet campaign," argues a subsequent editorial in The Dallas Morning News. "If the pension board wishes to salvage its reputation, and if it wants to broker a settlement with the Nasher over reflected glare from the condo tower, it needs a change at the top."
FULL STORY: Fake social media profiles part of Dallas pension fund’s public relations fight with Nasher
Critic: Improve Lighting to Improve Dallas Walkability
Architecture Critic Mark Lamster sets aside the complex issues of lane configurations and traffic calming to focus on a key aspect of walkability: proper lighting.
Texas State Bills to Defund Dallas Transit Die
DART would have seen a 30% service cut, $230M annual losses had the bills survived.
Dallas Ditches Parking Minimums in 14-1 Vote
The sweeping city council decision removes set parking requirements from developments downtown, near transit, small businesses and more.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.
San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.
Defunct Pittsburgh Power Plant to Become Residential Tower
A decommissioned steam heat plant will be redeveloped into almost 100 affordable housing units.
Trump Prompts Restructuring of Transportation Research Board in “Unprecedented Overreach”
The TRB has eliminated more than half of its committees including those focused on climate, equity, and cities.
Amtrak Rolls Out New Orleans to Alabama “Mardi Gras” Train
The new service will operate morning and evening departures between Mobile and New Orleans.
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.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont