Selling forwardDallas! in Austin

For policy and city-planning wonks looking for a way to kill 73 minutes, Theresa O’Donnell, Dallas’ director of Development Services and co-author of the forwardDallas! Comprehensive Plan, was down in Austin on Friday afternoon speaking to the School of Architecture at The University of Texas at Austin. Attending the shindig were students, profs and even Austin city officials, some of whom told The Daily Texan they’re trying to do for Austin what O’Donnell’s done for Dallas. Among her topics: “Constructing a Future Dallas,” “How will Dallas remain relevant” (especially as the city dukes it out with the expanding suburbs) and reconciling land use, traffic congestion and air quality.

And while the video’s not the prettiest thing to look at, her presentation is a concise look at the issues facing Dallas as it “attempts to maintain a stable economy” while implementing the comprehensive plan still undergoing tweaks and fine-tuning. The video’s available here. –Robert Wilonsky