Urban Planning

Carol Coletta Pushes Citizens to Better Engage Their Communities to Increase Neighborly Trust

The phrase, "You can't feel 'em, if you can't see 'em," frames her discussion of how we all need to better connect with our neighbors.

Governing A Growing Region: Addressing Challenges of Service Provision and Development in Houston

This report takes a regional view to find major issues with the way our growth is governed.

Special Districts Helped Form Houston. But the Patchwork of Governments Also Presents A Challenge Going Forward.

A patchwork of cities, counties, municipal utility districts and other jurisdictions across the region has created barriers to long-term regional prosperity, according to a new report.

How are parks created in Houston and why Houston isn't meeting its park goal

As the city grew, planners and developers didn't initially plan to embrace the landscape, but rather cover it with a pavement jungle.

How the Walkable Places Committee Plans to Make Houston More Pedestrian Friendly

The Houston Walkable Places Committee aims to make the Bayou City a more pedestrian-friendly city one new construction at a time.

Urban Review: How To Comment on Proposed Policy, Making Texas Roads Safer and Protecting Aretha Franklin's Childhood Home

This week, a handy how-to guide on submitting comments on federal proposals, plus a call out to do just that at the state level to support safer roads in Texas and a look at a new park in Tulsa, an existing Dodger Stadium connection and more.

Urban Review: Parking, A Football Oz and How To (Not) Write About Los Angeles

This week, new data on parking, a review of a fabricated sports city, the problem with work requirements and a lesson in writing about Los Angeles (and all cities).

Toward a More Tolerant and Denser Houston

Survey results suggest attitudes about density are connected to attitudes about diversity, hinting at the Houston's future.

Urban Review: New Black Cities, Prop. 13 40 Years On and Texas' Migrant Child Detention Facilities

This week, a look at newly formed majority-black cities and some of the challenges they face, the legacy of Prop. 13 according to California residents and a map documenting the migrant children being held across Texas.

Urban Review: Robot Work, Documenting Detention Centers and World Cup

This week, World Cup kicks off, experts ponder a future of robot work and a new report looks at detention centers across Texas and what happens to the people held inside them.

Urban Review: School Safety, New Urbanism and Racial Change in Suburban Atlanta and Hurricane Season

This week, the Texas governor's 40-point response to school shooting, a study of racial change in suburban Atlanta, prepping for hurricane season and more.

Mapping Houston Development

This dashboard uses subdivision plat data to analyze the urban growth of Harris and Fort Bend counties between 1950 and 2015.

Interactive: How Houston's Highways Spurred Growth, Sprawl

A new interactive report shows Houston-area development from 1950s onward.

Urban Review: Houston's Poor Parks Score, State of Mobility and Picnic Tables

This week, a look at how Houston's parks compare to other large cities, homelessness after Harvey, a deep-dive into the picnic table and more.

Urban Review: Black-White Wealth Gap Myths, Policing Pollution and The Starbucks Problem

This week, a breakdown of the myths behind many of the common explanations and proceed fixes for the black-white wealth gap, a plea for less pollution and more.