School of Urban and Public Affairs

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• • Ph.D. in Public and Urban Administration
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What We Do

In the last ten years, nearly 100 communities in Texas, many with limited funds available for discretionary services, have benefited from access to technical assistance at modest cost through the Institute of Urban Studies.

The Institute’s service area covers the entire state with projects undertaken for communities from far West Texas to the Rio Grande Valley and northeast to the Piney Woods of East Texas.  The Institute’s services are frequently extended to other public and non-profit agencies of the state. 

Described below are some of the projects the Institute has undertaken at the request of community leaders:

Building Capacity to Strengthen Local Economies

• Alvin (comprehensive plan update and other policy development options)
• Cedar Hill (downtown study to reflect city’s historic background)
• Fort Worth (planning for revitalization of the Greater Northside Neighborhood
• Grand Prairie (identification of property to be acquired for low to moderate income housing)
• Haltom City (revitalization of a once busy commercial corridor)
• Houston (work center feasibility study in ship channel area)
• Jacksboro (strategic economic development planning)
• Midlothian (strategic economic development plan update and ordinance review)
• Quanah (strategic economic development plan)
• Red Oak (development of a package of economic development tools customized for local needs)
• Texoma Council of Governments (economic adjustment plan for Cooke, Fannin and Grayson Counties)

Enhancing Community Planning Capabilities

• Arlington (assistance in planning for a downtown University Center and business corridor revitalization)
• Dallas (feasibility study of building a new performing arts complex in downtown Dallas)
• Dallas (land use planning for impact areas of the Trinity River Corridor project)
• DeSoto (land use feasibility study)
• Fort Worth (revitalization strategies for East Belknap Street)
• Fort Worth (physical development plan for Mitchell Boulevard)
• Fort Worth (revitalization strategies for an inner city neighborhood in Near Southeast Fort Worth)
• Friendswood (update of city’s comprehensive land development plan)
• Gun Barrel City (comprehensive land use and economic development plan)
• Kennedale (town center development plan)
• Shenandoah (preparation of city’s first comprehensive land development plan)

Strengthening Public Management and Governance

• Midlothian (review and update of city ordinances)
• U.S. Department of Justice (collaboration with multiple Dallas agencies to reduce neighborhood gun violence)

Applied Research Studies

• Fort Worth (five-year impact study of the forced relocation of residents from Ripley Arnold public housing into mixed income housing)
• TXDOT (grants to find solutions to a growing disconnect between demand for transportation services and the state’s ability to respond)

In-Service Education Programs

• North Central Texas (the administration of the Certified Public Manager program for North Central Texas)