Texas

'Unprecedented' Sale of Public Land Concerns 'Even Some Republicans'
As the Department of the Interior auctions off 'vast swaths' of American wilderness to oil and gas companies, fiscal conservatives and conservationists alike wonder if it’s the right thing at the right time.

Dallas Housing Proposal Aims for Equity, Finally
Not only does the plan promise more affordable housing, it’s also supposed to deliver “access to more upwardly mobile communities."

Houston Bike Plan Gets the Funding it Needed
Houston finally has the funding in place to work toward its vision for a bike-friendly city.

Austin's CapMetro Releases Plan for Expanded Transit Options
CapMetro's plan calls for high-capacity transit but does not specify whether that will mean a train or bus rapid transit.

Where Big Money Gets Spent on Apartment Construction
Between 2000 and 2016, developers spent more than $10 billion on apartment construction in more than half of the country's largest cities.

Dallas Breaks Ground on Yet Another Downtown Park
Pacific Plaza will the fourth park built in the center of the city in the last decade, and there are still plans for three more.

Dockless Scooters Leapfrogging the Bikeshare Industry
A columnist in Austin is reminded of the early days of ride hailing companies. How did that work out for taxis?

Dockless Bikeshare Regulations Search for Balance
The Dallas City Council is currently pondering a very contemporary question: how far should the city go in regulating dockless bikeshare companies?
Four TEXpress Lanes Open on I-35 West in Fort Worth Ahead of Schedule
Four miles of the 10-mile North Tarrant Express project opened to motorists on April 5. The $1.6 billion project, built by a public-private partnership working with TxDOT, includes rebuilding general purpose and frontage road lanes.

Inside the Transformation of Deep Ellum
The Dallas neighborhood of Deep Ellum is the city's answer to SoHo in New York, the Mission in San Francisco, or the Arts District in Los Angeles—once gritty, now trendy.

Houston Seriously Tightens Rules on Floodplain Construction
It was the city's "first major regulatory response" to Hurricane Harvey.

Apartment Development Shifts North of Dallas
The Dallas apartment building 'boom' is occurring in places like Frisco, Allen, and McKinney.

When Coastal States Kill Building Codes, FEMA Pays
Despite the increasing number and intensity of natural disasters, some vulnerable states are relaxing building regulations and leaving the federal government to pick up the tab when tragedy strikes again.

Makeover Revealed for Galveston's Popular Stewart Beach
The Galveston Park Board of Trustees is looking to add some bells and whistles to an already popular destination.

APA-Texas Acknowledges the Great Places of the Lone Star State
There are a lot of great places to celebrate in Texas, and the state chapter of the American Planning Association is in the second year of a program that calls attention to the role of planners in making them happen.

Popularity of Express Lanes Spreads Beyond Virginia
Dan Vock of Governing takes a broad look at congestion pricing, beginning with the success of Virginia's 66 Express Lanes, the ones where tolls initially topped $40. Notwithstanding complaints, managed lanes are spreading, but challenges remain.

Dog Parks and Yoga Lawns: the New High Rise Residential Amenities
Construction is wrapping up on a new high-rise residential tower cleverly dubbed Catalyst, signifying a shift in urban living in the city of Houston.

Houston Controller Finds Fault with Key Economic Development Program
A new report finds that Houston might not be holding private partners accountable for promised infrastructure improvements.

Texas Designates 628 Opportunity Zones
The state of Texas gives an early indication of the potential scale of the new Opportunity Zones program—an emerging program that will be rolling out across the country in the coming days and weeks.

Houston's Latest Stormwater Project: 'Massive, Underground Tunnels'
The most recent post-Harvey proposal would mean the city could endure enormous rain events, but so far it's not clear who would pay for it.
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