Better Block Project

Better Block Goes Small Town

From Dallas to Denver, Las Vegas to Oklahoma City... and now tiny North Adams, Mass. The wildly successful Better Block model has primarily spawned projects in large urban areas, but small towns are starting to pay attention.

May 9, 2013 - North Adams Transcript

Better Block Event Reintroduces San Antonio to The Alamo

Businesses and residents in San Antonio are celebrating what a temporary makeover of Alamo Plaza last weekend revealed about the potential to bring locals back to the city's tourist mecca.

August 22, 2012 - San Antonio Express-News

The Social Life of Dallas City Hall Plaza

Filmmaker Aaron Garcia uses narration from William H. Whyte's classic The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces to highlight the failings of the I.M. Pei-designed Dallas City Hall Plaza.

June 6, 2011 - The Better Block: A living Charette

Community Transforms Street Overnight

Local residents bring life back a desolate line of shops in Oak Cliff, a streetcar suburb of Dallas, overnight. The intention of the Better Block project is to demonstrate the value of pedestrian friendly spaces and encourage future investments.

September 14, 2010 - Go Oak Cliff

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Call for Speakers

Mpact Transit + Community

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HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

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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.