Houston

Houston MTA

A Super Weekend for Houston Rail Transit

"Sunday might have been the Super Bowl, but Saturday was Metro’s super day," reports Dug Begley.

February 7, 2017 - Houston Chronicle

The Fair Housing Battleground Returns to Texas

All eyes are on Texas to see whether fair housing policies enacted by the Obama Administration will have any chance to stick.

February 4, 2017 - Next City

Houston Astrodome

Houston's Astrodome Finally a State Antiquities Landmark

The arc of history has bent back to the Astrodome.

January 28, 2017 - Houston Chronicle

Houston Bayou

The Evidence for Houston as a World Class City

Houston is famous among urbanists for many reasons: its lack of traditional zoning, its perpetual growth, and its position in the oil industry are just a few examples. Here, Wendell Cox argues that the city is still under appreciated.

December 21, 2016 - New Geography

New York City

A Grid Balancing Act for Vibrant, Varied, and Sustainable Places

An analysis of three essential attributes of urban grids reveals a preferred layout for the desired effect of a vibrant, active community.

December 20, 2016 - Fanis Grammenos

Clear-Sky Flood

Houston's Rapid Growth Will Make Future Floods Worse

Houston's development has meant the loss of many wetlands, a key factor in protecting the against floods. This, coupled with climate change, will mean more floods, causing more danger and damage to the growing city.

December 15, 2016 - ProPublica

Houston Bus Lane

Houston Buses Gain Ridership While Bus Systems Around the Country Struggle

When Houston reworked their bus system they emphasized frequency and simplicity. The results have been a bump in ridership, though some complain the system sacrificed coverage and equity to make those gains.

December 14, 2016 - Texas Star Tribune

Co-Working Office

Co-Working Spaces Find a Place in Houston's Suburban Reaches

A Houston Chronicle journalist travels a surmising distance from downtown to survey the city's co-working spaces.

December 14, 2016 - Houston Chronicle

Moving Truck

Where Millennials are Moving To and Leaving From

Apartment List has published research showing the top destination cities for those 19 to 35 years of age based on ten years of census data from 2005-2010. Among the top 10 destinations, only three were on East and West coasts.

November 28, 2016 - Apartment List

Houston Astrodome

Preservation Comes to Houston

For the first time in its 70-year history, the National Trust for Historic Preservation will hold its annual conference in the city of Houston.

November 18, 2016 - The Houston Chronicle

Report Finds Rising Poverty in Greater Houston

The Kinder Institute reveals a "stunning trend" of poverty spreading around Houston.

November 15, 2016 - The Houston Chronicle

Houston, Construction

Vacancies Define the Houston Office Market in 2016

Industries over leased and developers over built. The city of Houston's office market has gone from boom to bust in only a few years.

November 9, 2016 - The Wall Street Journal

Houston Flood

Texas Flood Victims Searching for Answers

The controversy over the flooding of the Addicks Reservoir outside Houston seems to have no resolution in site. What follows is a cautionary tale about building homes where waters flood.

October 31, 2016 - Houston Chronicle

Texas Suburb

How Far Will Houstonians Drive for Housing They Can Afford?

New research looks into how commuting times in the Houston area effect on housing prices.

October 17, 2016 - Houston Business Journal

'Sleek' Housing Sprouts Up in Gentrifying Houston Neighborhood

Houston area's Oak Forrest neighborhood is the planned site for modern housing.

October 14, 2016 - The Houston Chronicle

Houston

Land Use Changes Allow for Development Wave Near the Texas Medical Center

New leadership at the Texas Medical Center in Houston, along with new land use covenants, is paving the way for unprecedented development in the highly trafficked area.

September 22, 2016 - Houston Chronicle

Houston

Lack of Zoning Leaves Houston Neighborhoods Vulnerable to Pollution

Houston doesn't compare well with other cities when it comes to locating polluting industrial uses near residential neighborhoods. Blame the city's lack of zoning, according to new research.

September 21, 2016 - Houston Chronicle

Houston Flood

Developments Surrounding Houston's Distressed Dams

The Houston Chronicle continues a series of feature articles about the persistent flooding of the region. The latest installment examines the tenuous position of the Addicks and Barker dams.

September 6, 2016 - Houston Chronicle

Toll Road

Texas Would Need $24 Billion to End Highway Tolls

Texas politicians are wondering how much it would cost to remove tolls from hundreds of miles of roads around the state. Though the political cost of tolling is high, the actual cost, it turns out, is higher.

September 1, 2016 - Houston Chronicle

Houston Townhouse

The Typology That Houstonians Love To Hate

Townhouses have been growing like kudzu in Houston over the past few years as the uber-sprawling city has finally started to fill in and become more dense. Locals hate them, but there's beauty to be found in efficient land use.

August 18, 2016 - Rice Kinder Institute for Urban Research: The Urban Edge

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.