City Forum | Comprehensive Planning: The Fort Worth Experience | Fernando Costa

In cities across the United States, comprehensive planning is used to fulfill legal mandates, establish growth and development strategies, and provide opportunities for residents to play a role in defining the future of their communities. This City Forum will explore the comprehensive planning experience in Fort Worth and discuss possible lessons for Austin. This is the second in a series of City Forums devoted to Austin’s comprehensive planning process, developed and presented jointly by the Program in Community and Regional Planning and the City of Austin.

Fernando Costa, FAICP

Fernando Costa is a nationally acclaimed city planner with a career of leadership spanning 32 years, including ten years as planning director for Fort Worth and eleven years as planning director for Atlanta. He has served as Assistant City Manager for the City of Fort Worth since April of 2008. In this capacity, he oversees and coordinates the activities of several departments, including planning and development, transportation and public works, aviation, water, and environmental management. Fernando is the founder and chair of Vision North Texas, a public/private partnership that promotes sustainable development in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area. He serves as a part-time faculty member at the University of Oklahoma, where he teaches courses in city planning and management. He is also chair of the national Planning Accreditation Board.