Urban planners in shrinking cities grappling with a growing number of vacant lots could get help from a new planning tool developed by Galen Newman, associate professor of urban planning, and a team of university researchers.

As tens of thousands of Texans undergo a long, difficult recovery from Hurricane Harvey, numerous faculty and students initiatives at Texas A&M University are helping individuals and communities learn how to emerge from the damage and mitigate the effects of future disasters.

As part of GIS Day at Texas A&M, the public helped artists, geographers and urban planners map some of the less tangible features of the Bryan/College Station landscape as they work to create a geospatial record of the region’s emotional topography.

For extraordinary contributions to urban planning practice and education spanning decades, David Pugh, associate professor emeritus, received a Legends Award from the Texas Chapter of the American Planning Association.

Municipal planners can use a tool developed by a Texas A&M urban planning student to determine if the location of current or planned bicycle lanes in their community enhance the mobility of residents who may not have ready access to automobiles.

To assist fundraising for a faith-based Ft. Worth boarding school proposed to serve economically disadvantaged youth0, Texas A&M students developed design concepts, construction schedules and operating cost estimates.