Texas
No Zoning, But Many Restrictions
Houston may lack zoning restrictions, but the city has taken a number of steps over the course of the year to limit the extent and flavor of development.
Water Woes Result In Rationing For Some Texas Communities
A string of droughts and a water-intensive invasive plant species have diminished water supplies in Northern Texas, requiring rationing for 11 cities in 2008.
Houston Makes Agreement With Advertiser To Cut 800 Billboards
The City of Houston has come to an agreement with Clear Channel Advertising for the company to remove about 800 billboards from the city -- the result of a citywide plan to clean up the city's "visual clutter" that started more than 20 years ago.
Debate Surrounds Dallas Riverside Park Plans
Plans to build an expansive mid-city park in Dallas may be squashed as voters consider whether they want to pay for a six-lane tollway and various other highway improvements to mitigate the loss of transportation routes through the proposed park.
Border Towns Share More Than Boundary
The border towns of El Paso, Texas, and Juárez, Mexico, are increasingly becoming more and more alike -- from demographics, to land development types, to housing prices.
Austin Mayor Wants City Passenger Rail System
The mayor of Austin, Texas, wants his city to consider funding a passenger rail system to traverse the city -- a more extensive system than the commuter rail line currently being built in the Austin area.
Houston: Peak Oil Metaphor?
James Howard Kunstler attends the annual meeting of the Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas (ASPO) and finds downtown Houston a "ghastly" environment that shows that even without zoning a city can achieve "miserable" results.
Houston's Pending Transit Revolution
Despite initial studies showing too hefty a price tag, Houston is now on its way to dramatically expanding its light rail transit system.
Condo Project Upsets Affluent Houstonians
In Houston, the only major U.S. city with no zoning laws, plans to construct a high-rise condo complex in an affluent neighborhood have residents outraged.
Texas Mayors Block Feds From Building Border Wall
City officials in Texas Border towns are blocking federal officials from coming into their towns to build walls along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Pay As You Drive (PAYD) System Test Gets Go Ahead
In six states, test runs will assess public attitudes and acceptance of road taxation systems that ditch gas taxes and charge drivers based on how many miles they drive.
Plan To Sell Conservation Land Irks Public
A proposal to sell off 9,000 acres of Texas land set aside in a conservation fund has many worried about a loss of public land. But proponents say a private owner would expand, not limit, public access to the land.
America's Largest Transit-Free City Reconsiders
The nation's largest city without public transit is beginning to lean towards creating a bus system.
Senate Blocks Toll Road Conversions In Texas
The U.S. Senate recently approved a bill that prohibits the state of Texas from converting any of its existing highways into toll roads for at least one year.
With No Concrete Plan For Tracks, Rail Project Delayed
Uncertainty about funding new tracks has created a delay in the development of a commuter rail system in the Austin-San Antonio region.
The Roller Coaster Next Door
A roller coaster has opened up right next door to a family's summer home in the Houston suburb of Kemah -- a town with no zoning ordinance.
Senator Opposes Plan To Convert Interstates To Toll Roads
A U.S. Senator from Texas has vowed to oppose a state-supported plan to convert existing interstate highways into tollraods.
Texas Wants To Buy Back Interstate, Convert To Toll Roads
Transit officials in Texas are looking to convince Congress to let the state buy back sections of interstate highway for conversion into revenue-generating toll roads.
Piecemeal Development For Border Communities
In the communities on the Texas side of the U.S.-Mexico border, development is an incremental process. But with an influx of public services and infrastructure, the humble villages are blossoming.
Parkspace And Preservation In Plans For Downtown Houston Revival
Billions have been invested in redeveloping Houston's downtown. Now, civic boosters are looking to revive a waterfront section of the city by creating active parkspace and increasing preservation efforts for a nearby historic building.
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.
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