Houston

More Diversity Needed in Bike Planning Processes

Left behind in business-as-usual city planning processes: low income and racial minority residents who rely on biking for transportation.

November 5, 2015 - Next City

Downtown Houston

Re-Evaluating Houston's Downtown Living Initiative

Like many other cities, Houston was looking for ways to bring more residents to Downtown. The Downtown Living Initiative has worked well—but will it leave some populations behind?

October 28, 2015 - Houston Chronicle

Pretty City. Don't swim after storm.

Houston's Drainage Controversy Isn't Unique

Houston faces political conflict around a new drainage fee, meant to fund efforts to fix the city's crumbling infrastructure. Other cities could soon find themselves in a similar predicament.

October 26, 2015 - Next City

A bus next to the re-located light rail station at Denver's Union Station

Questioning the Wisdom of Light Rail in the Sun Belt States

As Houston, Dallas and other sun belt cities build out their light-rail systems, some are asking if the investment is worth it.

October 20, 2015 - New Geography

Houston Light Rail

Texas Cities See Mass Transit as a Path to Economic Development

Dallas and Houston's expanding light rail systems are helping boost economic development as new commercial and residential development sprouts up around transit stations.

October 19, 2015 - PBS NewsHour

Japan High Speed Rail

Report: Texas High-Speed Rail Worth $35 Billion in Economic Benefit by 2040

A report commissioned by Texas Central Partners is the first to calculate the potential economic benefit of a proposed privately developed high-speed rail connection between Houston and Dallas.

October 17, 2015 - The Dallas Morning News

Traffic Safety Sea Change Underway in Texas

Streetsblog surveys the Texas cities adopting new standards of traffic safety as official policy.

September 25, 2015 - Streetsblog USA

Calling for the Removal of Houston's Pierce Elevated Freeway

Houston's Pierce Elevated, a section of the I-45 freeway, is the latest target in the movement to remove urban freeways.

September 24, 2015 - The Urban Edge

Build It and They Will Come: Big Expansion Expected for Houston Bikeshare

Critical funding from the Houston-Galveston Area Council’s Transportation Policy Council will expand the size of Houston's B-Cycle bikeshare system. The investment is intended to attract more users.

September 23, 2015 - Houston Chronicle

Downtown Houston

Houston on Target to Become Nation's Third Largest City

The Philly Voice provides a primer on Houston's ascendance up the ranks of major U.S. cities as it evolves into a more urban version of itself.

September 16, 2015 - Philly Voice

Phoenix Light Rail

Light Rail Leading the Way in the Sun Belt

Cities traditionally thought of as car-centric are putting ambitious light rail plans at the center of ambitious plans for transit.

September 16, 2015 - Houston Chronicle

Rail Crossings Exacerbating Traffic Concerns

As the city of Houston is growing, car traffic and rail traffic are also growing. The conflict between the two will be very expensive to resolve.

September 10, 2015 - The Houston Chronicle

On Houston's Unique Land Use Regulations (Just Don't Call Them Zoning)

Houston's famous lack of zoning codes might be more semantic than legal.

September 9, 2015 - The Urban Edge

$19 Million Approved for Houston's Bayou Greenways Plan

An ambitious project Mayor Annise Parker calls "one of the most exciting things I've had the opportunity to work on as mayor" took a major step forward this week.

September 4, 2015 - Houston Chronicle

The First Days of Houston's New High Frequency Bus Grid

Houston is making big transportation news this week with the launch of a newly replanned Metropolitan Transit Authority (Metro) bus system.

August 19, 2015 - Human Transit

The Case For and Against Red Light Cameras

Eric Jaffe of CityLab looks at what went wrong with what should have been a clear way to employ technology to reduce crashes and save lives, and what can be done to stem the tide of cities removing red light cameras.

August 18, 2015 - CityLab

Strong Housing Market a Lesson in Contrasts to the Slumping Oil Industry

Houston's housing market is chugging along, although one of the area's key industries is struggling.

August 16, 2015 - Houston Chronicle

Port of Houston Breaking Cargo Records

Local businesses and a global economy are driving growth at the Port of Houston. More opportunity growth could be on its way soon, too.

August 14, 2015 - Houston Chronicle

On the Ballot: $700 Million in Bond Funding for Roads in Houston's Harris County

The legacy of sprawl in and around Houston has forced local officials to seek $700 million in bond funding (part of an $848 million bond package) to pay for road improvement projects.

August 12, 2015 - Community Impact Newspaper

A New Plan to Save the Houston Astrodome

Local officials are considering a conservancy to preserve the Houston Astrodome, considered an antiquities landmark by the Texas Historical Commission.

August 1, 2015 - Houston Chronicle

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.