We Need to Incentivize Civic Wealth
All great places have civic wealth: shared elements that elevate everyday human life—walkable streets, beautiful buildings, shade trees, plazas, local businesses, and access to nature. These communal resources make the simple joys of life easily available. Great places aren’t purely economic machines built for efficiency. They are human places; places for work, creativity, rest, connection, […]
Why Walkable Streets Matter for San Antonio’s Future
Imagine waking up, putting on some comfortable clothes, and heading outside. You can feel your neighborhood waking up with you: families out walking, chairs being set out in cafés, the smell of a nearby bakery rising in the air. You take a leisurely fifteen-minute stroll down a few tree-lined blocks, running into people you know […]
A Vote for San Antonio’s Future—Go Spurs Go
As we enter the final days of early voting, San Antonio stands at a crossroads that will define our downtown for generations to come. From the vantage of the Market Street Bridge, you’re able to look down on a simple yet stirring message painted atop our umbrellas: “Go Spurs Go.” It’s a statement of solidarity […]
Rethinking San Antonio’s Sprawl: Zoning Reform
In my last article, I gave several reasons why our suburban sprawl has negatively impacted our society. These articles going forward will suggest pragmatic solutions to slowly but surely curb sprawl and help us create a more beautiful, human-scaled, and walkable San Antonio. First, let’s imagine what we want in a city. Most people that […]
A Love Letter from San Antonio, for San Antonio
San Antonio is standing at a crossroads, and I fear too few of us understand just how important and fragile this moment is. The decision we make on the future of our downtown arena is not just about basketball, and not just about billionaires—it is about who we are, how we see ourselves, and whether […]
Paved Over: Rethinking San Antonio’s Sprawl
San Antonio is a city of contradictions. On one hand, it is a beacon of historic preservation and urban revitalization. We have incredible historic districts, beautifully conserved buildings like the Alamo and the Missions, the world-renowned River Walk, and the 21st-century model for great mixed-use development in the Pearl. On the other hand, we have […]