Planning Gulf Coast and Texas Downtowns

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• Understand the unique challenges downtowns face as a result of social and technological changes.
• Apply best practices in downtown planning with regard to setting the planning agenda for your town or city.
• Learn about the role that downtowns have played as laboratories for urban experimentation.

MORE SESSION DETAILS

The past 20 years have seen the unprecedented blossoming of Texas's and Louisiana's downtowns. These transformations have been driven by massive investments in the public realm, parks, housing, retail, transportation, governance, attractions, programming, the office sector, and green infrastructure. At the same time, downtowns today are facing new challenges through changing norms in living, working, and moving through the city. Examine the next generation of downtown development through the eyes of the planning directors for New Orleans and three Texas cities: Houston, Austin, and Dallas. What will the next decade of downtown development look like? How do historic business districts adapt to changing workplace norms? How will changing best practices in transportation — from capped highways to improved rail and autonomous vehicles — effect downtowns? Who is the next generation of downtown residents and how will downtowns accommodate families, the aging, and their workforces? How can downtowns continue to build on the success of signature open spaces, stadiums, convention centers, and other attractions?