Sumners Scholars Public Policy Seminar Recap

Market Demand v. Social Justice

Neighborhoods in Dallas’ urban core have experienced a development renaissance in recent years. New multi-family developments and popular eateries can expose people to parts of the city they’d long ignored, but they can also conflict with the feel of existing developments and drive up surrounding real estate prices, pushing out longtime residents. How is gentrification affecting Dallas residents, and what can cities and developers balance maximize economic development potential while minimizing the negative impacts?

Rethinking Urban Mobility

Many of the problems that currently plague cities — blight, concentrated poverty and lack of upward socioeconomic mobility — can be traced to how cities were built to be car-centric in the second half of the 20th century. Even in automobile-loving Dallas, people are starting to look beyond traffic forecasts and traditional transit planning when it comes to identifying how transportation infrastructure and transit service impacts residents — and how officials can undo previous harms.

New Urbanism: From Grassroots Movement to Political Success

There's been a growing cultural shift in America where citizens and voters are becoming more aware of how government decisions on zoning, development and transportation impacts everything from where we live and work to the quality of our personal lives. Grassroots groups are trying to get people to look at built environments differently. And in Dallas last year, a new urbanism political action committee helped elect a slate of like-minded City Council members. What is new urbanism, how is it changing people’s demands of their City Halls and how did it become intertwined in local politics?

From the Texas Capitol to the U.S. Capitol

A conversation with U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Fort Worth, moderated by Evan Smith, CEO of The Texas Tribune.