A Quarter of Downtown Dallas Is Parking Lots. Could That Change?

As Dallas examines its land use plan, it's time to talk about parking lots.

End Parking Mandates, Top Story 2Bethany EricksonMay 4, 2023Parking, parking minimums, parking, parking pricing, End Parking Mandates and Subsidies, Texas

What's It Like Being Stranded in Your City? (Part 2)

In walkable cities, it’s not hard to find a solution if you find yourself stranded. But what about in a car-dependent place?

Owens, Transportation, Top StoryTiffany Owens ReedApril 4, 2023travel, Europe, urban design, hospitality, car dependency, auto-oriented, Texas, transit

For Houston Freeway Fighters, Federal Government’s Actions Speak Louder Than Words

The federal government’s refusal to hold TxDOT accountable for the harm it’s doing in Houston is allowing history to repeat itself—something the current administration pledged it wouldn’t do.

End Highway Expansion, Top StoryAsia MieleszkoMarch 28, 2023highways, transportation, Texas, federal government, federal funding, federal transportation bill, Infrastructure, infrastructure bill, infrastructure, infrastructure cost, End Highway Expansion

Houstonians Deceived and Displaced

TxDOT is pushing a controversial highway expansion that would displace thousands of residents and destroy hundreds of businesses, churches and homes.

End Highway Expansion, Community, Top StoryAsia MieleszkoMarch 8, 2023transportation, DOT, Houston, Texas, highways

TxDOT Chooses Highways Over Housing

The Texas Department of Transportation pushes forward with an $85 billion, decade-long plan to expand the state’s highway system, despite widespread opposition and even a federal lawsuit.

End Highway Expansion, News, Top StoryAsia MieleszkoFebruary 10, 2023End Highway Expansion, Texas, housing, highways, urban freeways, freeway widening, freeways, DOT, transportation, transportation spending

Cities Don't Need to Regulate Arts and Culture

Cities don’t need to pay for or try to create arts and culture programs. They just need to remove barriers to and support the organic culture already existing in their neighborhoods.

Local Government, Owens, Top StoryTiffany Owens ReedJanuary 24, 2023arts, top-down, city government, local government, Texas

Designing for Resilience: Policies Are Great, but Design Is What Will Change Your Life

Citizens and city leaders striving to pivot from car-based design to more resilient models of growth and development need to start planning our places with the end in mind—the “end” being everyday life, itself.

Urban Design, Owens, Top StoryTiffany Owens ReedJanuary 10, 2023urban design, Texas, biking, fragility

Not a Stranger, Not a Friend: The Second-Ring Relationships Our Cities Need More Of

Relationships with neighbors once made up an important part of our social fabric, forming the basis for civic collaboration and local problem solving. Here’s how we can get those relationships back.

Community, Owens, Top StoryTiffany Owens ReedDecember 6, 2022community, Community, public space, neighborliness, Texas, coffee shops

Speed Traps Have No Long-Term Effect on Speeding

This Strong Towns member was skeptical of claims that a speed trap had successfully slowed the cars on a local street…so, he conducted a speed study. Here are his results.

"Should I Protest My Property Taxes?"

The process for appealing your property taxes can be obscure, even when the appeal is merited (and more often than not, it is). This simple guide will help prepare you for when your property is next assessed.

City Wants To Transform 14-Mile-Long Stroad

This vital corridor in El Paso is getting a makeover!

TxDOT Proposes to Dig a $1 Billion Infrastructure Grave in Downtown Dallas

For years now, TxDOT has considered removing Interstate 345 in downtown Dallas…only to conclude their study by coming up with a much worse plan.

TxDOT Ignores El Paso’s Needs To Make a Grab at Infrastructure Dollars

TxDOT’s latest boondoggle: a highway expansion that threatens to cut right at the heart of downtown El Paso.

#InfrastructureCrisis, Infrastructure, Transportation, Top StoryRobert StorchMarch 31, 2022highways, freeway widening, freeways, urban freeways, El Paso, Texas, transportation, Infrastructure, infrastructure, infrastructure spending

In Hospitable Cities, You’re Welcomed by Design

Some neighborhoods can feel downright hostile, especially to outsiders. But many places have become this way due to inhospitable design, not inhospitable people.

Neighborhoods, Public Space, Urban Design, Top Story, OwensTiffany Owens ReedMarch 31, 2022placemaking, urban design, Neighborhood Design, Neighborhoods, suburban experiment, human scale, walkability, Texas, public space, food trucks, neighborhood revitalization, traditional development pattern

Can a Houstonian Approach to Homelessness Work in L.A.?

L.A. is facing an increasing problem with homelessness. Can it learn something from the efforts of another large Sunbelt city?

Upzoned, Podcast, Housing, Top StoryStrong TownsMarch 9, 2022Podcast, podcast, Upzoned, homelessness, Homelessness, Homeownership, Los Angeles, Houston, California, Texas, housing, Housing, housing crisis, Housing Crisis

Texas DOT Doubles Down on Urban Highway Expansions

San Antonio residents were working on a downtown road diet and neighborhood redevelopment…until TxDOT decided to completely ignore the will of 78% of local voters.

#NoNewRoads, #SlowtheCars, Roads and Streets, Stange, Transportation, Top StoryJay StangeFebruary 8, 2022DOT, Texas, Houston, #NoNewRoads, #SlowTheCars, road diet, Road Diet, roads, streets, STROADS

Snow Day: Can Your City Pass the Winter Test?

The effects of winter weather on your town is one way to gauge its resilience.

Member Post, Public Space, Suburban Experiment, Top Story, OwensTiffany Owens ReedJanuary 27, 2022snow, Snow, Antifragile, Small Towns, small towns, Texas, New York, natural disasters, public transit, public space

American Suburbs Are a Horror Movie and We’re the Protagonists

Walking alone to the grocery store is, for me, like walking through a creepy hallway at night. Why? Because America is filled with liminal spaces.

Neighborhood Design, Suburban Experiment, Walkability, Top Story, ShayestehShina ShayestehJanuary 13, 2022walkability, Pedestrian Safety, pedestrian safety, #PedestrianUnfriendly, pedestrians, Safety, Texas, Austin, suburban development pattern, suburban experiment, psychology, Psychology

Love Letters to Your Neighborhood: 5 (Perfectly Legal) Guerilla Art Projects for the Whole Family

These temporary artwork instillations (that anyone can create) are a great way to connect with your neighbors, and help them connect with your community, in turn.