Texas Urban Triangle research
lauded by APA Texas chapter

“Texas Urban Triangle: Framework for Future Growth,” a 140-page report researched by Texas A&M urban planning students, was named Best Student Project by the Central Texas section of the American Planning Association during a July 17 banquet in Bastrop.

The report, issued in May 2008, researched key strategic factors shaping the future growth of the mega-region, including current and future needs for water, energy, housing, education, transportation, and other infrastructure.

Principal investigator Michael Neuman, associate professor of urban planning, Elise Bright, professor of urban planning and master of urban planning coordinator, and graduate students participated in the project.

The Texas Urban Triangle is a triangular shaped region of the state of Texas formed by three interstate highways – I-35 to the west (Dallas-Fort Worth to San Antonio), I-45 to the east (Houston to Dallas), and I-10 to the south (San Antonio to Houston). The 60,000 square mile region contains most of the state's largest cities and metropolitan areas as well as 17 million people, nearly 75 percent of Texas' total population.[1] The region is comparable to Florida in population size and comparable to Georgia by area.

The goals of the project, as stated in its abstract, are

• To plant the Texas Urban Triangle squarely and firmly into the public imagination of Texans far and wide – to put the Texas Urban Triangle “on the map,”

• To provide a basis for current policy and planning decisions so that a more vibrant and attractive “Heart of Texas” – its metropolises, counties, and cities – provides a more sustainable environment for its residents, and their descendents and newcomers, well into the future, and  

• To determine what future research, particularly at the regional scale, is needed to provide a sound basis for public policy and private investment decisions.

For more information on the report, visit http://texasurbantriangle.tamu.edu

- Posted: Oct. 5, 2009-