Houston

Houston Metro Plan Centers Safety, Accessibility
A new plan from the city’s transit agency focuses on improving the rider experience and boosting safety, but remains uncommitted to previous plans to build new BRT lines.

Retro-silient?: America’s First “Eco-burb,” The Woodlands Turns 50
A master-planned community north of Houston offers lessons on green infrastructure and resilient design, but falls short of its founder’s lofty affordability and walkability goals.

Public and Private Collaboration Advances Park Development in Houston
Houston may be known to some as a concrete jungle, but its greenspaces continue to expand thanks to combined support from the public, private, and philanthropic sectors.

How Houston Can Be a Model for Housing Reform
The city builds more new housing than almost any other and has dramatically reduced homelessness, yet low-income families struggle to find affordable housing.

New Intercity Bus Service Will Connect Texas Cities
A San Antonio-based charter bus company will begin offering daily trips to Dallas-Fort Worth and San Antonio later this year.

Texas Central Railway Could Have “Massive Positive Impact”
Amtrak took the lead on the proposed high-speed rail project, which would connect Houston and Dallas in less than 90 minutes.

A Look Inside the Houston Land Bank
The nonprofit has built over 300 homes in the last five years.

Interactive Map Highlights Freeway-Related Displacement in Houston
A new map illustrates the neighborhoods and buildings that were razed to make way for freeways and estimates the number of people displaced by roadways.

Reimagining the Space Beneath Houston’s Freeways
Opportunities abound for Houston to capitalize on otherwise unused space beneath its wide network of freeways.

Houston Metro Abandons Bike Share in Favor of On-Demand Microtransit
The agency failed to include funding for bike share in its 2025 budget proposal.

Texas High-Speed Rail Plan Calls for Eminent Domain
The proposed rail line would link Dallas and Houston via a 90-minute trip.

Houston Transit Agencies Offer ‘Free Fare Fridays’ for Ozone Action Month
Harris County is one of several Texas counties that failed EPA standards for clean air in recent years.

Houston Bus Lanes Downgraded to HOV Lanes
Metro officials say the new plan for the Iner Katy Project addresses more immediate needs by replacing dedicated bus lanes with HOV lanes.

Texas High-Speed Rail Awarded $63.9M Federal Grant
In August, Amtrak received a $63.9 million grant from the FRA to continue its work to identify a high-speed rail corridor between Dallas and Houston.

Will Texas High-Speed Rail Become a Reality?
A proposed Houston-to-Dallas rail line shows promise, but faces major hurdles before it can come to fruition.

Houston Council Member Questions Microtransit Investment
METRO’s support of an on-demand microtransit service comes as the agency is scaling back its bigger bus projects.

Houston Could Face Stronger Storms. Is the City Prepared?
Experts say Hurricane Beryl, which landed as a category 1, revealed that the city’s infrastructure may not successfully withstand stronger storms.

Houston Residents Respond to Mobility Questions
What could the city look like if budget and bureaucracy were no object?

Houston Could Cancel Rapid Transit Project
Metro officials say prioritizing the University Corridor project would force them to delay or cancel other service expansion initiatives.

Houston Will Be Largest US City Without Bike Share
The city’s bike share system will cease operations at the end of June.
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.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research