Urban Planning

Houston Has a Plan. Now What?

Ryan Holeywell | October 7, 2015 Following a process that took more than a year, the city approved an outline of its goals. Now the real work starts.

What Copenhagen and Houston Tell Us About How “Trust” Affects Cities

You’d be hard pressed to find two Western cities that are more different than Houston and Copenhagen. The reason for that may have something to with the idea of trust.

John Norquist: It's Time to Tear Down Houston's Pierce Elevated

One of the country's foremost advocates for tearing down freeways says it's time for Houston's Pierce Elevated to go.

How Houston Can Harness the Power of “Big Data”

Unprecedented partnership between Rice and City of Houston is part of a growing movement.

Why Residents Have Nuanced Views of Gentrification

Research reveals stark differences among how middle-class residents perceive redevelopment.

What Are “Road Diets,” and Why Are They Controversial?

Despite criticism, even the federal government says the technique is effective.

America’s Highways are Crumbling. Is That a Bad Thing?

Former Milwaukee mayor urges cities to re-think the urban highway and focus on the street grid.

Forget What You’ve Heard, Houston Really Does Have Zoning (Sort Of)

Space City has a reputation for being the only big American city without zoning. That reputation is undeserved.

How Can We Improve Rice Village? Here Are Four Options

The Houston dining and retail destination is sorely in need of an upgrade. A few steps would go a long way.

You wouldn’t know it, but Rice Village has plenty of parking

Houstonians knows the stress of driving through the shopping district. We think there’s a better way to fix its parking crunch.

Phil Washington Championed Public-Private Partnerships in Denver. Will it Work in L.A.?

Metro’s new transit chief faces the daunting task of building 100 miles of transit. Lucky for Angelinos, he’s done it before.

Bike Battles: Why We Debate Who Owns the Road

A new book explains the fascinating history of American bicyclists and makes the case for why that history still matters.

To Understand Houston's New Bus Network, Just Look at the 27 Route

The 27 route runs every 15 minutes, every day, for 19 hours a day. Similar routes will help make transit more viable option for Houstonians.

Drowning in Data, Cities Need Help

For most of human history, urban planners have had to do their jobs with only the dimmest understanding of what’s going on. Now they have more information than they can handle.

Take a Trip Inside Houston's Astrodome Archives

Libraries are documenting mementos and stories about the iconic stadium so it will live on – even if it’s demolished.