Catch Up With Austin's CodeNEXT

CodeNEXT is one of the most ambitious, and controversial, zoning reform projects ongoing in the country, with lessons to offer planners all over the country in code writing, public outreach, and planning outcomes.

1 minute read

February 8, 2018, 8:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Sixth Street, Austin

Juli Scalzi / Shutterstock

The team working on the ongoing rewrite of Austin's land development code recently completed a series of outreach engagements that revealed a lot about the city's work on the project.

A series of four Facebook Live events, branded as CodeNEXT Live, gave a chance to use the social media platform to blast news and information about the land development code update to the public. Aly Van Dyke, from Austin's Communications and Public Information Office, interviewed four experts from different city departments on four key subjects that will influence the shape of the city's new land development code. 

In the first live video, Van Dyke speaks with Matt Holton from the Watershed Protection Department on the subject of flooding. The second video called on Erica Leak from the Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Department to talk about affordable housing. Community and mobility are the subjects explored by the third and fourth video sessions, respectively. At the very least, that list of subjects and departments goes to show how multi-disciplinary planning can become, and also shows the many ways issues of planning can be connected with the interests of the public.

Wednesday, February 7, 2018 in CodeNEXT

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

Wastewater pouring out from a pipe.

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage

Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

April 13, 2025 - Inside Climate News

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Black and white photos of camp made up of small 'earthquake shacks' in Dolores Park in 1906 after the San Francisco earthquake.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees

More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

April 15, 2025 - Charles F. Bloszies

People walking up and down stairs in New York City subway station.

In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving

Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.

April 18 - Scientific American

White public transit bus with bike on front bike rack in Nashville, Tennessee.

Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan

Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.

April 18 - Bloomberg CityLab

An engineer controlling a quality of water ,aerated activated sludge tank at a waste water treatment plant.

Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding

The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.

April 18 - Smart Cities Dive