More than 40 percent of Dallas residents live within a half-mile of a park, but the school district and the city are working together with nonprofits to improve that figure.

The Dallas Morning News editorial board expresses support for a new program in Dallas that is opening school playgrounds to use after school hours and during the summer to provide more open space and play options for families.
The Dallas Independent School District (ISD) and the city of Dallas are teaming up on an effort the editorial board calls good government after a year of quiet work to open and improve five schools in park poor areas in Dallas. The results are also due to the hard work of the Texas Trees Foundation and the Trust for Public Land, according to the editorial.
"An average of 80 trees were added to each campus, from oaks to ornamentals. Updated park equipment was installed, and things like loop trails and embankment slides were constructed," explain the editorial.
The editorial board also congratulates the effort for keeping prices down. "All of the work done to get these five campuses into better shape cost about $1 million, a bargain for such public improvements. And $750,000 of that money came not from taxpayers but from a generous, albeit anonymous, donor."
FULL STORY: Dallas is transforming school playgrounds into city parks — and it couldn’t come at a more crucial time

Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing
Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?

Americans May Be Stuck — But Why?
Americans are moving a lot less than they once did, and that is a problem. While Yoni Applebaum, in his highly-publicized article Stuck, gets the reasons badly wrong, it's still important to ask: why are we moving so much less than before?

Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage
Penn State researchers have found that repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal-assisted compressed-air energy storage can boost efficiency, reduce environmental risks, and support clean energy and job transitions.

San Antonio Remains Affordable as City Grows
The city’s active efforts to keep housing costs down through housing reforms and coordinated efforts among city agencies and developers have kept it one of the most affordable in the nation despite its rapid population growth.

What Forest Service Cuts Mean for Cities
U.S. Forest Service employees work on projects that have impacts far beyond remote, rural wilderness areas.

North Texas Transit Leaders Tout Benefits of TOD for Growing Region
At a summit focused on transit-oriented development, policymakers discussed how North Texas’ expanded light rail system can serve as a tool for economic growth.
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.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
City of Moreno Valley
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
City of Cambridge, Maryland