Peering into the Dallas Looking Glass

Dallas city government is dysfunctional. It's not even a provocative thing to say anymore, is it? Everyone knows it's true. It's almost self evident, right?

In case you don't know that (perhaps you don't live within shouting distance of Dallas), you might want to check out this story in The Dallas Morning News by Elizabeth Findell. City council members shout at each other. City Council members shout at city staff. There's a whole lotta shoutin' going on.

But if you knew that already, you can just jump ahead to this story in FrontBurner by Peter Simek. He reads between the lines of Findell's story to understand the structural reasons behind all that shouting.

Peer into the Dallas looking glass and you might have a hard time seeing Richardson. Well, maybe if I cock my head just so, I think I see Richardson's future.

How Texas is Whitewashing History

The white supremacists might be on the defensive in South Carolina, where there are calls to haul down the Confederate flag from the state capitol, but in Texas the whitewashing of history is standing strong. If you have a child in Texas public schools, he or she is probably being taught shameful lies about American history.

How Much is Upzoning Worth?

"Upzoning" -- changing zoning laws to allow taller buildings and greater population density -- creates a windfall gain for landowners in high-value areas when the regulatory barrier is removed, and cities can capture some of that (by selling development rights at or near market prices) to defray the costs of the transit infrastructure that makes the higher-density development feasible.

Source: U.S. News.

How much is upzoning worth? A lot. Different stories about different places reveal just how much. Some cities are quicker to recognize that value and take advantage of it for the benefit of the city as a whole, not just the owner of the property that's upzoned. Some cities are a little slower on the uptake. And then we get to Richardson.

The Glorious Fourth

From 2015 07 04 Breckinridge Park

It was our first trip back to Breckinridge Park since 2012 for Richardson's "Family 4th Celebration" and it was even bigger and better than the last time. The fireworks were preceded by a patriotic concert by the always entertaining Richardson Community Band. We sat right down by the lake for the closest and best view of the fireworks, including the reflections in the water.

From 2015 07 04 Breckinridge Park

More after the jump.

OTBR: A Broken Stone Fence in Australia

Latitude: S 37° 34.422
Longitude: E 145° 07.176

A child on a road trip with his family asks, "Where are we?" and the father answers, "Let's check the map. We're off the blue roads [the Interstate Highways marked in blue on the road atlas]. We're off the red roads [the US and state highways]. We're off the black roads [the county highways]. I think we're off the map altogether." It was always my dream to be off the map altogether.

After the jump, a few of the random places (and I mean random literally) that I visited vicariously last month that are "off the blue roads".