Urban Planning

10 Last-Minute 2016 Holiday Gifts for Urbanists

Nothing shows you care like a city-themed knick-knack.

Latest Podcast: How to Build Stronger Suburbs

If you think you know the suburbs, think again.

Building Stronger Suburbs: Adaptability and Resilience Best Practices From Suburban Houston

A report on how suburbs can adapt to modern challenges and opportunities.

What Makes a Great City? Great Public Spaces. And These 6 Rules

A new book explains the six steps needed to create amazing spaces.

Harris County Votes to Move Forward With First Phase of Astrodome Renovation

Harris County commissioners voted Tuesday to go forward with plans to raise the floor of the Astrodome and install 1,400 indoor parking spaces beneath it.

What Downtown Plano’s Rebirth Can Teach Other Mid-Sized Cities

Things are going well for downtown Plano.

Weekly Roundup: How Parking Became One of Urban Planners' Biggest Enemies

More than 30 percent of the area in many downtown cores is taken up by parked vehicles. Today, many planners are hellbent on doing something about it.

The Houston Townhouse: An Appreciation

Love or hate them, densely packed townhouses play a key role in the increasing the size of Houston's housing supply.

What the Latest Version of Google Maps Tells Us About Cities

Google's efforts to highlight "areas of interest" reveals much about the development of Houston. It also says something about the way Google portrays urban life.

Weekly Roundup: What It Would Mean to Have a Former Mayor As Vice President

Tim Kaine is the kind of guy whose "eyes lit up at the mention of land-use regulations," according to one observer.

How Questions About Density Complicate the Sun Belt Growth Narrative

Sun Belt cities are growing -- but more often than not, it's happening in a less-than-urban way.

Weekly Roundup: In the Country's Most Expensive Cities, It Takes Too Long to Build

In some places, it can take more than a year for a developer to secure a building permit, leading to higher housing costs for everyone in town.

In New Transportation Plan, Nashville Offers Model For Sun Belt Cities

The plan focuses on relatively quick, incremental steps that can have big impacts.

What the Ashby High-Rise Case Means for the Future of Houston Development

The ruling should help eliminate uncertainty around Houston development and promote more clarity around the city's brand of "zoning lite."

Latest Podcast: Understanding the Debate Over Education Funding

Kinder Institute experts discuss the status of education funding in Texas, and the history of construction and demolition patterns in Houston.