2021 Update: Since the inception of Sustainable Placemakers Meet-ups back in 2017, the group has joined forces with other local organizations to tackle the important issues surrounding sustainable land development in the central Texas region. Please visit www.ssmtx.org for more information.
A little more than a year ago in fall 2017, the San Marcos Land Development Code was up for review and adoption by city council. As witnessed by previous blog posts, the code rewrite was an attempt by city planners to in many ways encourage more sustainable development patterns to better realize the environmental / social / economic goals laid out in the 2013 comprehensive plan. prompted by our involvement with public feedback process for the code rewrite in San Marcos and the backlash we witnessed against it in the name of maintaining the status quo, we felt a strong need to create opportunities for more local dialogues about sustainable planning and smart growth principles.
So in response, in September of 2017 we initiated Sustainable Placemakers [Meet-ups] - a series of periodic public conversations and presentations that allowed for discussion of some of the more contentious components of the proposed code rewrite, like parking minimums (and why they promote car dependency while harming walkability) and missing middle housing typologies (and how they can effectively contribute to attainable housing stock and promote walkable infill). Since that time, Colorspace continues to host meet-ups and book clubs around town to further this dialogue surrounding sustainable land development and transportation practices, as well as cultivate a network of local smart-growth urbanists in the San Marcos area.