Texas

Remodel of the Village Arcade a Sign of the Urban Times in Houston

The Houston Chronicle presents a lesson in how (and why) to convert the aesthetic of a university-adjacent retail center from suburban to urban.

December 6, 2014 - Houston Chronicle

El Paso Approves Second 'SmartCode' Development

The El Paso City Council approved a $100 million SmartCode development.

December 3, 2014 - El Paso Times

Motorists have OPEC to Thank for Lowest Oil Prices in Five Years

American motorists are enjoying the lowest gasoline prices in five years because OPEC chose not to reduce oil output in the hopes that decreased oil prices will be lower than the cost needed to frack oil from shale.

December 2, 2014 - Vox

Grassroots Support for a Swimming Hole in Houston

In a city as hot in the summers as Houston, the idea of a swimming hole probably seems pretty appealing. Can an idea floated in a local newspaper column and backed by interested and passionate locals come to fruition?

November 28, 2014 - Houston Chronicle

Critic: Improve Lighting to Improve Dallas Walkability

Architecture Critic Mark Lamster sets aside the complex issues of lane configurations and traffic calming to focus on a key aspect of walkability: proper lighting.

November 24, 2014 - The Dallas Morning News

Rural Texans Air Objections to High Speed Rail

Parts of rural Texas sound a bit like the outspoken high speed rail opponents in California's Central Valley in their reaction to the Texas Central Railway's bullet train which maintains strong support at the terminal cities of Houston and Dallas.

November 24, 2014 - The New York Times

Dallas Launches Fledgling Bikeshare Program

Meant as the precursor for a larger program and delayed from an expected summer launch, Dallas launched its first bikeshare system with two rental kiosks for use around Fair Park.

November 17, 2014 - The Dallas Morning News

Oakland skyline and San Francisco Bay

The Biggest Transportation Winner on the Nov. 4 Ballot

The ballot measure generating the most new transportation funds approved by voters this month was in Alameda County, Calif. Voters chose to double an existing sales tax to one percent and extend it to 2045, raising $7.8 billion over 30 years.

November 16, 2014 - Contra Costa Times

Energy Taxes Now Flowing to Texas Highway Fund

Thanks to voters, at least $1.2 billion in oil and gas taxes a year that would normally have been directed to the state's Rainy Day Fund is diverted to the highway fund, where it will be used to improve the state's crumbling road infrastructure.

November 12, 2014 - Newsradio 1200 WOAI

Campaign 2014 Results: Transportation, Energy, Conservation Measures

We've covered a wide variety of ballot measures that appeared on the Nov. 4, 2014 ballot. While the media has focused greatly on Congressional and gubernatorial outcomes, we'll look at the results of the state and local measures we've covered here.

November 6, 2014 - T4America Blog

El Paso Launches 'Brio' Bus Rapid Transit Line

El Paso launched a bus rapid transit line known as the Brio, connecting the Mesa Transfer Center to Downtown El Paso.

November 5, 2014 - KTSM News

The Twin Cities Offer Free Election Day Transit—Does it Matter?

There is little, or no, evidence that offering free transit on election day improves voter turnout. Today the Twin Cities will do it anyway for the sake of, hopefully, improving the democratic process.

November 4, 2014 - CityLab

Traffic Lights

Lesson from Houston: Crashes Double after Red Light Cameras Removed

Red light cameras are usually controversial. In Houston voters chose to remove 50 cameras at high-risk intersections. Since then, crashes have increased 117 percent.

October 29, 2014 - Houston Chronicle

The ULI Urban Open Space Award Goes to Klyde Warren Park in Dallas

The ULI has granted its annual award for the best new open space to Klyde Warren Park, a freeway cap park in Dallas.

October 28, 2014 - Urban Land Institute

An Evolving Houston Plans for its Future

Houston is preparing for a new wave of population growth by preparing a comprehensive plan. The question is what kind of city Houston wants to be.

October 20, 2014 - Architect

Underfunded, Deadly Road Infrastructure in Texas

Bloomberg News investigates a rash of road deaths in the Midland-Odessa region, attributing the fatalities to underfunded road infrastructure, increased population, and truck traffic. A November ballot measure may provide some relief.

October 16, 2014 - Bloomberg News

Fracking's Formidable Foe

The worthy foe is not environmental regulations nor the the government or public demanding fracking moratoriums and bans. It is the falling global price of oil. Two radio reports explore how the global glut of oil affects U.S. shale oil production.

October 16, 2014 - NPR

Competing for Transit Service in North Texas

After expanding its light rail system until it was the largest system in the United States, Dallas Area Rapid Transit still finds itself struggling to attract cities to join the agency, even as rival agencies are emerging as competitors.

September 24, 2014 - Dallas Morning News

Highway Decisions Make Dallas a 'Paradox City'

Dallas Morning News Architecture Critic Mark Lamster pulls no punches in writing of Dallas as the "Paradox City," even describing Michael Morris, the director of transportation for the North Texas Council of Governments, as a new Robert Moses.

September 17, 2014 - Dallas Morning News

Transportation Planning a Key Issue in Upcoming City Elections

Rachel Dovey provides a roundup of mayoral races that feature special interest and attention on the issues of public transportation and transit-oriented development.

September 8, 2014 - Next City

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.