Colman, Scott2022-10-052022-10-052021-052022-04-22May 2021Phillips, Lauren Joseph. "The Heart of the Texas Triangle: Strategies for Open-Landscape Preservation." (2022) Master’s Thesis, Rice University. <a href="https://hdl.handle.net/1911/113522">https://hdl.handle.net/1911/113522</a>.https://hdl.handle.net/1911/113522The interurban landscape of Central Texas is undergoing a rapid transformation as metropolitan centers reach out to one another along the interstate highways of the Texas Triangle. Rural communities, farmland, and ranchland are quickly subsumed by low-density suburban development that is oriented toward the economic needs of Texas’s major cities. While targeted land conservation efforts led by private land trusts do exist in the state, their piecemeal acquisition of conservation easements is often unable to preserve the reading and experience of the landscape as a totality. This thesis considers the economic pressures driving development in the Texas Triangle, and the mechanisms of territorial allocation and control currently operating in the state, and proposes a local government “Special District,” the Caldwell County Conservation District, that would have the authority to regulate development and land use in a specific at-risk Texas county. In addition to determining a county-wide development envelope and conservation sub-districts within the county, the project considers both financial and amenity arrangements with nearby cities that are mutually beneficial and mutually supportive. The project proposes that facets of public policy, tax law, municipal ordinances, annexation strategies, and land use plans are not merely obstacles to be navigated, but design tools that can have a broad impact across a region—supporting smart development, advancing the cause of conservation generally, and creating value for residents and stakeholders.application/pdfengCopyright is held by the author, unless otherwise indicated. Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder.landscapeconservationpolicyThesis2022-10-05