Texas
Push to 'Free the Food Trucks' in Dallas
A newly formed coalition of the food truck owners has begun lobbying the Dallas City Council to reduce the regulations governing the operation of food trucks around the city and open the streets to mobile food vending.
Houston Launching 'Goal Zero' Bike Safety Program
Following the lead of New York City and San Francisco, Houston is the latest large American city to launch a program aimed at eliminating bike fatalities. The program includes funding for the creation of a Bicycle Master Plan.
25 Years after the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, Another Major Spill Occurs
A barge spilled 168,000 gallons of heavy oil after colliding with a ship in Galveston Bay outside of Texas City on March 22, just two days shy of the 25th anniversary of the Exxon Valdez, 11 million gallon oil spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska.
Breaking Down Housing Affordability for Teachers
As coastal real estate markets—especially in California—grow more expensive, it’s harder for teachers to afford a home. A recent article breaks down the affordability of homes for teachers around the country.
Houston Launching Car-Free Streets Pilot Project
Starting in April, Houston will close 2.5 miles of streets to automobile traffic between 11 am and 3 pm. Additional street closures will follow in May.
Dallas Warming Up to Complete Streets
A new Complete Streets Design Manual is under consideration in Dallas City Hall, but according to a recent article explaining Dallas' move toward walkable neighborhoods, the city has some work to do before the idea fully takes hold.
Dallas Housing Department Scrutinized
A recent federal investigation into civil rights violations has given way to calls for a reorganization. A recent editorial examines the ways the Dallas Housing Department is failing.
Proposed Ordinance Would Rework Dallas’ Conservation Districts
Dallas is mulling changes to the process by which neighborhoods can seek and obtain conservation district status. As city staff considers the changes, one former councilwoman for the city asks, “if it ain’t broke…”
America’s Fastest-Growing Cities
Forbes recently released its annual list of America’s Fastest-Growing Cities. The list considers both population and economy.
Lesson in Reduced Expectations: Dallas’ Trinity Lakes Plan
Like so many visionary plans for the restoration of public space, Dallas’ original intentions for the Trinity Lakes plan might have been “just a bunch of pretty pictures.”
Two Energy States Take Opposite Approaches Toward Regulation
PBS NewsHour reports on a new study that shows a lack of air quality regulations on fracking in the Texas Eagle Ford Shale play. NPR looks at new rules developed by regulators in Colorado, the first in the nation to restrict methane emissions.
Dallas Needs $900 Million in Street Repairs (Or Lower Standards)
A recent report to Dallas’ Transportation and Trinity River Project Committee estimated the cost of bringing its streets to its minimum standards at $900 million.
Oklahoma and Texas Experience the Costliest Natural Disasters
The Insurance Information Institute released a report detailing the insurance payouts for natural disasters in 2013. Oklahoma and Texas topped the list, with $2 billion and $1.5 billion, respectively, in payouts.
Starfish Are Mysteriously Dying by the ‘Tens of Thousands’
Up and down the West Coast, Texas, and in some places on the East Coast, starfish are dying off and washing up on shore in distressing quantities. The so-called "sea star wasting syndrome" has also been called a “mass mortality event.”
What Makes A ‘Metropolitan Version of Nature’?
Metropolis Magazine examines the 21st century efforts at creating wild places in cities, exemplified by the Buffalo Bayou Promenade in Houston and the Passaic River in Newark.
TxDOT: I-345 Stays in Dallas
Advocates presented a compelling case to remove the aging stretch of Interstate 345 that bisects Dallas adjacent to downtown. But state transportation officials have decided to rehab, rather than remove, the freeway.
Ped-Friendly Proposal for Houston’s Downtown Convention Center
In anticipation of the 2017 Super Bowl, Houston First Corp. is seeking approval of a project to improve the city's convention center and “reshape the once-moribund East End of downtown into a dynamic new focal point of the city.”
Dallas Bans Protests Near Freeways
Supporters call a new Dallas ordinance banning protests near freeways a “pro-safety” measure rather than an “anti-protest” measure.
Oil Flowing Through the Keystone Pipeline
Oil is now flowing through the southern leg of the controversial Keystone pipeline. The southern pipeline is still the subject of a number of lawsuits, and the northern portion of the pipeline is pending approval from the State Department.
Predictions for Austin’s Real Estate Boom
With a whole portfolio of positive indicators about the health of the real estate market in Austin, a group of local industry leaders recently made predictions about what 2014 will bring for one of the country’s fastest growing metros.
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.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
