Texas

Abilene, Texas, Declares Victory Against Veteran and Chronic Homelessness
How a small central Texan city reached "functional zero" for veteran and chronic homelessness.

Surprising New Research on Gentrification in Houston
Affluent areas face more demolitions than gentrifying areas in Houston and Harris County, according to the findings of a new report from the Kinder Institute of Urban research.

Austin City Council Urges TxDOT to Reconsider I-35 Expansion
In a letter to the department, the city called for an increased focus on shifting demand away from single-occupancy vehicles and boosting other forms of transportation.

Dallas Subway Project Gets a Key Green Light
The Dallas City Council kept the d2 subway plan on track with a vote this week.

A New Metropolitan Blueprint for Texas
Traditionally associated with its wide-open spaces, Texas is now, undeniably, defined by the cities and suburbs that comprise its built environment.

As the Pandemic Continues, Officials Look to Long-Term Housing Options with Hotels
Advocates point to a bevy of successes in slowing the spread of the virus, but authorities struggle with cost burden.

Fixing Decades-Old Parking Regulations in Dallas
Dallas has launched an effort to reform its "burdensome" parking policies, which have been left largely in the hands of local development districts.

Lessons to Guide Future Equitable Development Planning
How did recent projects in Baton Rouge, Dallas, and South Florida fare?

Mask Order Standoff in Texas: Attorney General vs. Austin and Travis County
It's pandemic déjà vu in the Lone Star State, with local governments wanting to protect their constituents from an increase in viral transmission, a power preempted by Gov. Abbott's executive order. Attorney General Ken Paxton lost the first round.

TxDOT Faces Lawsuit from Harris County Over I-45 Plan
The lawsuit over the controversial I-45 project, which has been plagued by local opposition, calls for a new environmental review.

Visions of the Future Houston
An ongoing exhibition in Houston imagines a city on the cusp of a new, more prosperous future.

San Antonio Doubles Down on Public Housing
The San Antonio Housing Authority has been working for years to replace the Alazán-Apache Courts with mixed-income housing using a tax-credit deal. But that plan is now scrapped in favor of keeping the apartments as public housing.

Texas Grid Operator to Be Investigated by Congressional Subcommittee
Texas' costliest natural disaster will be the subject of a congressional investigation by a House Oversight subcommittee thanks to Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., who is concerned about ERCOT's lack of preparation for extreme winter weather.

Tracking Resilient Houston's Progress
The Resilient Houston initiative promises to strengthen the city's infrastructure and increase its capacity to thrive and adapt under crisis.

Texas Lifts Coronavirus Restrictions, Ends Mask Mandate, Despite CDC Warning
Gov. Greg Abbott announced that he is reopening Texas 100% and lifting the state mask mandate, as is Gov. Tate Reeves of Mississippi. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning of a variant-induced fourth surge.

A Fourth Coronavirus Surge is Likely
The plunge in daily new coronavirus cases has ceased and may be climbing again, but the news is brighter when looking at the summer. Most of the public health experts interviewed by The New York Times believe a surge is likely but not inevitable.

Dallas Council Begrudgingly Keeps Downtown Streetcar Alive
Council members complain that the Oak Cliff Streetcar is a "vanity project" that drains money from other potential transit improvements.

Lone Star Grid
The Arctic blast that shut down power to millions of Texas households last week has brought renewed attention to the isolated Texas power grid that prevented the operator from importing out-of-state electricity.

Blaming ERCOT
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), the nonprofit, independent power grid operator for 90 percent of the nation's second-largest state, has become the convenient fall guy for the epic power failure caused by an extreme weather event.

Infrastructure Isn't an Abstract Concept. It's Very Personal
Living in Texas this week has reminded me how dependent we are on infrastructure—and how interdependent these systems are. It's time we started investing in infrastructure as if it really matters to our daily lives.
Pagination
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.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service