Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Podcast

Talking Headways Podcast: The End of “Planning By Pitchfork” in Houston

podcast icon logo

On September 30, Houston passed a new comprehensive plan, more than 14 years in the making, and ceased to be the largest city in the United States without one. Jay Crossley of Houston Tomorrow and Streetsblog Texas joins us this week to discuss Plan Houston and how it allows the city to stop "planning by pitchfork."

Houston is famously a city without much zoning. Hear Jay's thoughts about how this works to the city's advantage, whether locals oppose changes to neighborhoods as vociferously as people in other cities, and how different departments will now coordinate under Plan Houston.

We also discuss how the goals of Plan Houston were shaped, what got left out intentionally, what was jammed in at the last minute, and how it may change in the future.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Friday Video: Guess Which Argument Can Get a NIMBY To Change Their Mind About New Housing

Put your instincts to the test with this fascinating experiment about the power of messaging to win support for urbanism.

March 20, 2026

Friday’s Headlines Took the Road Less Traveled By

And that has made all the difference, when it comes to preventing traffic deaths.

March 20, 2026

Study: How Ambiguous Definition of ‘Major Transit Stop’ Creates Wiggle Room for Municipalities

This is a story of how well-intentioned efforts by the state to tie new development to transit hinge on how local governments (with their own incentives) interpret broad state law.

March 19, 2026

Talking Headways Podcast: Growing St. Louis’s Arts and Culture District

This week on Talking Headways, step inside St. Louis's Grand Center Arts District with the people who make it happen.

March 19, 2026

Advocates Get D.C. Mayor To Release Buried Report On The Potential Benefits Of Congestion Pricing

How many other conversations about congestion pricing across the country are being suppressed — and how many have never even gotten started?

March 19, 2026
See all posts