Institute of Urban Studies projects, as of 11/24
Future Land Use Plan, City of Collinsville
IUS Topic Areas: Economic Development; Land-Use; Neighborhood Engagement and Safety
For over a year, the Institute has worked with the City of Collinsville, TX to create a strategic land development plan that capitalizes on the city’s existing economic prospects, amplifies the city’s natural and built amenities, and enables greater community engagement. IUS leadership and staff performed technical analyses and met with community members several times to engage in a comprehensive and thoughtful research effort. The project is expected to conclude in the coming months.
Texas Senate District 30; Texas House District 62
Arlington Multi-Modal Delivery Project, City of Arlington + United States Department of Energy
IUS Topic Areas: Children and Families; Digital Governance and Integration; Neighborhood Engagement and Safety
Through a partnership with the City of Arlington, the Department of Energy and several University of Texas at Arlington departments, the IUS is currently involved in efforts to test and evaluate delivering supplies to mobility-impaired, historically disadvantaged, or individuals without reliable means of transportation using low- or zero-emission autonomous transportation modes. To support the project, the Institute is involved in collecting and analyzing data regarding individual sentiments and behaviors to strengthen the project’s future scalability. The IUS is further supporting the project through community engagement efforts. The project is expected to continue until the end of the 2024-2025 fiscal year.
Texas Senate District 9; Texas House District 92
Childcare Feasibility Study, Dallas County
IUS Topic Areas: Children and Families, Workforce Development
Working with Dallas County’s Office of Budget and Evaluation, the IUS is actively performing analysis to enable the County to identify the current and short-term-future childcare assistance needs of existing employees and explore the possibility of adopting a childcare assistance support program. The feasibility study is intended to determine the costs and benefits of various forms of a childcare assistance program to enable the County to choose the program that best suits its needs. The project is expected to be completed by June 2025.
Texas Senate Districts 2, 12, 16, 23; Texas House Districts 100, 102, 103, 104, 105, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115
Design Playbook: Housing for Youth Aging Out of Foster Care, various partners in Dallas and Tarrant Counties
IUS Topic Areas: Children and Families; Housing and Homelessness; Land-Use and Transportation
To combat the tendency of aged-out foster youth to experience bouts of housing insecurity, this project leverages an
first-hand interviews to develop a design playbook to guide the development of small-site housing projects that are tailored to the wide range of personal, communal, and service needs of youth transitioning out of care. The project involves partnerships with various organizations dedicated to foster youth success across both Tarrant and Dallas counties. It is scheduled to continue until the end of the 2025 calendar year.
Texas Senate Districts 2, 9, 10, 12, 16, 22, 23; Texas House Districts 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115
Supportive Housing For Formerly Homeless Older Adults, various partners in Dallas and Tarrant Counties
IUS Topic Areas: Housing and Homelessness; Land-Use and Transportation; Neighborhood Engagement and Safety
To answer the question of which service interventions are the most successful for older adults with lived experiences of homelessness, this project seeks to identify the unique strengths and opportunities that each supportive housing format offers for older adults with limited financial assets. A multi-variate assessment focused on health, social capital, mobility, safety, and security is used to evaluate each modality for its capacity to support the aging processes of older adults with limited financial and familial support who live in US cities. The project involves partnerships with local, state, and federal agencies across the Dallas-Fort Worth metro region. It is set to be completed in 2026.
Texas Senate Districts 2, 9, 10, 12, 16, 22, 23; Texas House Districts 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115
Arlington Urban Design Center, City of Arlington
IUS Topic Areas: Children and Families; Conservation, Preservation and Environmental Justice; Economic Development; Housing and Homelessness; Land-Use and Transportation; Neighborhood Engagement and Safety
The Arlington Urban Design Center is a collaborative partnership between the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs (CAPPA) at the University of Texas at Arlington and the City of Arlington to provide free planning and architecture services to organizations seeking to provide economic, social, and spatial benefits to the city. The program is managed by the Institute and does not have an expected end date.
Texas Senate District 9; Texas House District 92