The Lewisville community is engaged!

On October 17, 2025

Having worked with the City of Lewisville since 2013, I know how engaged and passionate the Lewisville community is. But it’s always fun to see that enthusiasm reflected in a new way with a different mix of people. I’m delighted to be working with Lewisville, Freese & Nichols and RAYO Consulting on the Lewisville 2035 […]

A New Look at North Texas’ Future

On October 11, 2025

Vision North Texas (VNT) was an innovative public-private-academic partnership, created in 2004 as a forum for discussion about the future growth of the North Texas region. Its first major event, a Regional Visioning Exercise in 2005, brought together stakeholders from the entire region and ended with the conclusion that the people of North Texas want […]

Ecotourism as Economic Development

On August 1, 2025

Throughout the Global South, agriculture plays a major role in the economy. As agriculture has become mechanized and controlled by multi-national corporations, production occurs at a more massive scale so commodity crops can be produced cheaply for transport to other parts of the world. In the process, local ecosystems are often ploughed under and local […]

Kudos to Civity!

On July 18, 2025

Civity is “a national nonprofit organization that works with people to build the relational infrastructure necessary for communities in which everyone has what they need to thrive”. It defines ‘civity’ as “a culture of deliberately engaging in relationships of respect and empathy with others who are different”. By assisting communities and organizations, and training local […]

The Cool City of Oaxaca

On April 12, 2025

If being sustainable means you thrive and remain a desirable community over time, then Oaxaca certainly fits the bill! The historic origin of Oaxaca, Monte Alban, is on a mountaintop adjacent to the current city and developed areas. It was first settled around 500 B.C. The settlement on that plateau lasted at least 1,000 years […]

Ethics Challenge at Oak Park Commons

On October 20, 2024

The code guiding ethical behavior by professional planners begins: “People who participate in the planning process shall continuously pursue and faithfully serve the public interest.” What does that mean for planners who represent various types of employers or clients, and who are dealing with complex issues that must balance differing public interests? This interactive session, […]

Housing Supply Accelerator

On June 1, 2024

The American Planning Association (APA) has been a leader in an important effort to address housing affordability. At the APA conference in Minneapolis in 2024, a session presented the results of their collaboration with the National League of Cities, the National Homebuilders Association, the National Association of Realtors, and the Mortgage Bankers Association in a […]

Inclusive Storytelling: New Tools for Climate Resilience

On April 15, 2024

A valuable session at the APA Minneapolis conference emphasized inclusive storytelling. Most of us have personal experience with the way stories can have a bigger impact on our thinking and beliefs than data. So the idea of using storytelling to help reach consensus on community’s plans or individual projects makes a great deal of sense. […]

A big 75th celebration!

On July 26, 2021

Thursday, July 22nd, the Greater Dallas Planning Council celebrated 75 years of involvement in the Dallas region! It was a great crowd with lots of stories to share about the past and even more enthusiasm for the future. Karen was one of the former Presidents who spoke on a panel about the GDPC’s impact. She […]

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