Congratulations to the 2020 AICP Fellows!

On March 26, 2020

I was pleased to see the announcement of this year’s class of Fellows of the American Institute of Certified Planners. Induction as a Fellow is one of the highest honors a planner can receive. This year’s class has 53 members. The full list of new Fellows is now on the APA website. Of those, several […]

Regional Climate Change Workshop

On February 27, 2020

On February 26, 2020, a unique workshop was held at the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) office in Arlington TX. The focus was on action underway and possible in the North Texas region to address the effects of climate change! The workshop was co-sponsored by NCTCOG’s Environment and Development Department and the Greater […]

Lewisville City Council Retreat

On February 24, 2020

This year’s City Council retreat included intense discussions on a large number of current issues and projects. The Lewisville 2025 Update was one of those. Karen presented the results of the outreach efforts and Touchpoint events. City Manager Donna Barron and other staff members added their perspectives. City Council provided direction on the updated plan’s […]

Planning Improv

On February 1, 2020

Here’s the third tale, written in February 2020 for the American Planning Association Texas Chapter: Planning Improv

Lewisville 2025 Update Touchpoint

On January 31, 2020

The next stage of community involvement builds on the input received from the community. A major outreach effort, Touchpoint included a range of activities and options for stakeholder involvement on January 29 and 30, 2020. SCS designed the process and overall structure; the details were established in collaboration with key City staff members and staff […]

Community ideas shape a new plan for a key part of Addison

On January 9, 2020

The Town of Addison, Texas asked Strategic Community Solutions LLC to lead a team to update a study of the area where a Sam’s Club store was once located. The consultant team also includes Kimley-Horn, Inc. As part of gathering initial input from the community, an Open House was held at the Addison Athletic Club […]

Greater Dallas Planning Council’s 2019 Urban Design Awards

On December 11, 2019

The Greater Dallas Planning Council (GDPC)’s Urban Design reception took place on December 10, 2019. It was held in the historic Dallas High School, an amazing adaptive reuse of the building and now the home of Perkins + Will. A good crowd was on hand to recognize the award winners, congratulate the 2019 GDPC Board […]

Collins-Arapaho TOD/Innovation District rezoning approved

On December 10, 2019

On December 9, 2019, the City of Richardson adopted its Collins-Arapaho TOD/Innovation District rezoning! Few cities would initiate a rezoning of about 1,200 acres of developed private property. But for Richardson, rezoning is a critical step in the transformation of this employment center, which is an aging light industrial area adjacent to a DART light […]

Paso Centurión, Uruguay

On December 1, 2019

Paso Centurión is a place on the edge. It’s a small community on the Rio Jaguarão, the river forming the border between Uruguay and Brazil. The nearest ‘big’ city is Melo, the capital of Cerro Largo ‘Department’ (equivalent to a state in the US), which has a population of about 50,000. While there was a […]

Flooding Beyond FEMA

On November 9, 2019

This was the topic of the second session SCS led at the APA Texas 2019 annual conference. Karen Walz organized and moderated the session. It featured Jennifer Dyke P.E., Senior Planner in the City of Fort Worth’s Transportation and Public Works Department and Ben Pylant P.E., Senior Project Manager with Halff Associates, Inc. We shared […]