Texas
Austin Denies Mixed-Use Zoning Change
Following concerns that the change would threaten Thornton Road Studios, a collection of arts and music businesses, the Austin City Council struck down a measure that would allow mixed-use development on the site.
A Chronicle of Inequality—Starting with Memphis and Houston
Places Journal has launched a series titled "The Inequality Chronicles." Expect high-quality longform articles.
Dallas to Consider Smoking Ban in All City Parks
If the city of Dallas bans smoking its parks, it would catch up on a trail blazed (not blazed, rather) by Houston and Frisco.
Texas 288 Tollway: Big Public-Private Partnership Plans
A public-private partnership to build a large tollway south of Houston has taken important first steps. Construction will commence later this year.
Homelessness Growing in Austin—For the First Time in Years
The state capital of Texas is not immune to the growing numbers of homeless in cities around the country.
U.S. Cities Cracking Down on Homelessness
Three major American cities this week—San Francisco, Dallas, and Los Angeles—responded to the growing number of homeless living on the streets with sweeps, arrests, and seizures, respectively.
How San Antonio Is Working Toward Vision Zero
A post on the Rivard Report details the efforts underway in San Antonio, Texas, to reduce traffic fatalities.
Op-Ed: Facial Recognition on Transit Goes a Step Too Far
Despite its insistence that the technology would only target criminals, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) should reconsider using facial recognition software to address crime. The potential for abuse may be too high.
Friday Eye Candy: Dallas, Transformed Into Poetry
Dallas is a subject in a visual experiment titled "A City is a Poem."
Houston Releases Ambitious Bike Plan Aimed Toward Casual Riders
The newly revealed Houston Bike Plan targets an estimated $300 million to $500 million in investments into the city's bike infrastructure.
Oil Bust: Houston's Housing Surplus is Driving Rents Down
With a multitude of new high-end apartment complexes coming online, Houston residents are reaping the rewards of lowered rents as landlords struggle to fill vacancies due to a slowing oil economy.
Dallas Has Two New Long-Term Plans for Parks
The city of Dallas recently approved a new Parks and Recreation Comprehensive Plan and the city's first Recreation Master Plan. The comp plan updated the previous Renaissance Plan.
Big Expansion Approved for Austin-Area Highway
The Transportation Policy Board of the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization approved a big spending increase for a project to widen U.S. Highway 183.
Supreme Court Puts Obama's Key Climate Initiative on 'Hold'
In an unusual move that doesn't portend well for the EPA initiative, the Supreme Court ruled that the Clean Power Plan Rule that reduces emissions from existing power plants be suspended while it is heard by the Court of Appeals this summer.
How to Make Bikeshare More Popular
While bikeshare is popular with planners and local officials all over the country, in some cities it still hasn't proven popular with people. One author has some thoughts on how bikeshare can begin to attract larger numbers.
Oklahoma-Style Earthquakes Now Affecting California
Disposal of wastewater from fracking has long been associated with earthquakes in Oklahoma as well as Ohio and Texas. A new study shows they were likely the cause of a swarm of quakes in 2005 in the capital of oil in California, Kern County.
New Houston Mayor Calls for a Paradigm Shift in Highway Planning
On the heels of the #NoNewRoads campaign, new Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner gave a "rousing" speech calling for the state of Texas to change its thinking about highway widening projects.
Houston's Lower-Income and Minority Communities Face Lack of Access to Medical Care
Maps showing the concentration of medical facilities in Houston, shows a greater density in higher-income areas.
Wave of Walmart Closures Cuts Across the Rural, Urban Divide
January marked an unprecedented contraction for Walmart, which closed 269 stores, including all 105 of its small format Walmart Express stores.
Revisiting Plan El Paso With a Critical Eye
The critically lauded Plan El Paso hasn’t yet spurred the kind of urban revitalization it was designed to achieve. Some say its evidence that people still want sprawl, other say changes are still coming.
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.
KFH Group Inc.
Greater Baltimore Committee
Eagle County Government
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
