I’m sure I speak for most designers when I say that academic projects tend to appeal to our most noble intentions. Creating spaces that will foster learning, social interaction, and personal discovery in children from their earliest formative years all the way to adulthood is a very inspiring task. It is also a task that... Read Full Post ›
The planned B.B. Owen Park at Trinity Falls will no doubt quickly become a recreational destination for North Texas. Backed by a generous $11 Million endowment from the B.B. Owen Trust, this 300-acre park will feature athletic fields, an amphitheater, multiple playgrounds, picnic areas, and miles of nature and interpretive trails. What makes this park... Read Full Post ›
As the residential housing market in Texas continues to heat up, many developers are anxious to get homes on the ground and ready for sale within master planned communities. But before a single road is built, before a single foundation is poured, there are many months of planning and negotiating that have to take place. ... Read Full Post ›
It’s the dawn of the fourth quarter, and many of us who are involved in the real estate industry are starting to look into the crystal ball, trying to anticipate what 2016 will bring. The Fall ULI Conference is always ideally timed in this sense because it offers a high-level perspective of the economy and... Read Full Post ›
Posted by Bob Richardson 10-29-15
This past summer, I dusted off my trusty notebook and pen and headed north to Cambridge, Massachusetts for a two-day course in Real Estate Development Fundamentals. Administered by the Harvard University Graduate School of Design’s Executive Education Program, this course was designed for those of us who are involved at various points along the way... Read Full Post ›
Walkability, density, connectivity – any conversation about the built environment today will almost certainly involve these buzzwords. Sometimes we hear and use these words so frequently that they can start to lose their impact. So when we learned about a recent study by Texas A&M associate professor of architecture Xuemei Zhu that measured the results... Read Full Post ›
As planners and landscape architects, so much of what we do is tied to the bigger picture. From market research and project economics to theming and sustainability goals, we collaborate with our clients and with other project team members to bring multi-faceted concepts to life. No doubt, the big picture is incredibly important to the... Read Full Post ›
Despite recent extreme weather changes in Central Texas, water conservation remains a long-term concern for homeowners and utility companies alike. To address this issue, I recently joined forces with a team led by Hank Smith of Texas Engineering Solutions and including Mike Fishbaugh of Coleman & Associates to create a set of landscape guidelines for... Read Full Post ›
Posted by Peter Dufrene 05-28-15
For Central Texans, April brings many things – showers, warmer temperatures, oak pollen. But for me, this April brought the much-anticipated Greater & Greener 2015: Innovative Parks, Vibrant Cities conference in San Francisco. It was truly one of the best conferences I’ve ever attended. The event aimed to explore the role of urban parks in... Read Full Post ›
Posted by Barbara Austin 04-24-15
