School of Urban and Public Affairs

• Undergraduate
  • Interdisciplinary Studies (INTS)
  • Minor in Urban and Public Affairs
  • Minor in Environmental and Sustainability Studies
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  • Ph.D. in Public and Urban Administration
  • Ph.D. in Urban Planning and Public Policy
  • Master of City and Regional Planning
  • Master of Arts in Urban Affairs
  • Master of Public Administration
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• Institute of Urban Studies
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  • Projects and partnerships
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Projects and partnerships

Hundreds of Texas communities, many with limited funds available for discretionary services, have benefited from access to technical assistance at a modest cost through the Institute of Urban Studies.

The institute’s service area covers all of Texas, with projects undertaken for urban and rural communities from far West Texas to the Rio Grande Valley and northeast to the Piney Woods of East Texas.

In addition, the institute frequently extends its services to other public and nonprofit Texas agencies, as well as to the federal government.

Here are examples of how the institute is making a difference:

Lakeside: We recently completed a feasibility study for a multi-use commercially zoned property in the Town of Lakeside, Texas. The 5.68-acre property has great potential to serve as the town's entryway due to its location on State Highway 199 (Jacksboro Highway). The project proposed retail and professional office uses, including a new town hall, providing a foundation for realistic and targeted economic development efforts. It also included a design for the gateway icon which would announce the site and would be an emblem of Lakeside's identity.

Vidor: The City of Vidor, Texas, located near the Gulf of Mexico and the nearby Port of Beaumont boasts a wide array of shopping, dining and entertainment choices. Its historic core offers a slower-paced, pedestrian experience that the citizens want to preserve while realizing a vital downtown and making it a focal point of the greater Orange County area. Vidor officials asked the IUS to provide a comprehensive land-use plan to help the citizens map out this future. The city is in the process of implementing the master zoning plan.

Haltom City: Haltom City, Texas, and the IUS developed a citizen survey to assist the city of 10,722 households in moving forward with a comprehensive city plan. A Ph.D. student in the Institute of Urban Studies led the project and presented it to the city council and city staff. The questionnaire drew a larger than expected response rate, and the results were of enormous help to Haltom City. The city commended both the student and the institute for the study.

 Other entities that have benefited from the Institute of Urban Studies:

Arlington Animal Services Arlington Dental Association City of Arlington City of Benbrook City of Burleson City of Celina City of DeSoto City of Everman City of Fairview City of Friendswood City of Glenn Heights

City of Kaufman City of Kennedale City of Lakeside City of Munday Oak Cliff Chamber of Commerce City of Quanah City of Quitman City of Reno Royse City City of Sealy City of Vidor