Through the Eyes of a Journalist: Megan Kimble Reflects on Covering Food Systems, Zoning Changes, and Highway Projects in the Southwest

Kimble’s interest in topics related to urban planning spawned from research and writing about food systems in the borderlands of Arizona. She then moved to Austin in the midst of the city’s update of its Land Development Code.

2 minute read

May 28, 2023, 5:00 AM PDT

By Don Kostelec


Austin, Texas, is feeling the pressures of intense growth and lack of affordable housing. This has impacted land development, transportation, food systems, and fair housing efforts. Megan Kimble has been on the front lines, chronicling these efforts and unearthing the linkages among them since relocating to Austin from Tucson in 2017.

“The best part about being a journalist is you get to inhabit other people’s professions and worlds, and once you get tired of them you can move onto another topic,” said Kimble.

Kimble’s 2015 book Unprocessed unearthed the underbelly of our food systems. From that perspective, she began to understand how access to opportunities in cities was predicated on where people lived.

“A lot of attention was paid to physical access to food,” Kimble told The Planning Commission Podcast. “That’s really important but I started covering transportation because, if you drive, then you can have access to all the things that you need. If you rely on public transportation, you are much more dependent on the resources that are around you in your neighborhood.”

This also ties into zoning policies, as Kimble has learned in covering the $10 million, decade-long effort by the City of Austin to update its land development code.

Kimble outlines what is occurring in Austin related to the code update. “The biggest thing that has prevented a new land development code is NIMBY opposition,” she said. Protest rights, which are also rooted in racism and segregation, are granted under Texas law and have played a major role in stalling the effort in the courts.

“It’s largely white, wealthy homeowners who have an enormous amount of power by state law and that has gummed up the whole process such that city leaders have not been able to get anything done,” said Kimble.  

The sprawl stemming from the City of Austin’s inability to grow at higher densities has led Texas DOT to plan for wider highways around and through Austin.

“What TxDOT is doing is fairly rational” due to the demand created by the sprawl, said Kimble. That's doesn't mean they aren't skirting environmental laws and ignoring the lessons learned after 60 years of highway building and expansion with little effect on reducing congestion.

The Planning Commission is a spirited debate by planners, for planners. This independent outlet for all things planning explores the serious and lighter sides of the profession, poses probing and creative questions to guests, and always pairs the episode guest and topic with a choice libation. Listen to the podcast for a special offer from Planetizen.

Monday, May 22, 2023 in The Planning Commission Podcast

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Bird's eye view of manufactured home park.

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?

March 25, 2025 - Shelterforce

U-Haul truck on road with blurred grassy roadside in background.

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?

March 27, 2025 - Alan Mallach

Rusty abandoned oil well and equipment with prickly pear cactus next to it in West Texas.

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.

March 31, 2025 - Pennsylvania State University

Colorful blocky apartment building facade.

Minneapolis Bans Rent-Setting Software

Four cities have enacted restrictions on algorithmic software that can inflate rent costs.

April 1 - Stateline

Silver electric BMW car parked in driveway of home in Oakland, California.

Oakland to Add 244 New EV Chargers

Oakland plans to launch its new charging network at eight locations by the end of 2025.

April 1 - City of Oakland

Sculpture of seated Jane Goodall holding hands with chimp on green lawn.

Jane Goodall Inspires with Message of Hope, Resilience, and Environmental Action

Speaking in Pasadena, Jane Goodall offered a hopeful and inspirational message, urging global compassion, environmental responsibility, and the power of individual action to shape a better future.

April 1 - Pasadena Star-News