Nolanville
PLAN 658 identified specific implementation projects to help move plan strategies into actions. These ideas show how planning recommendations can translate to real improvements. Together, these efforts position Nolanville to plan effectively for growth and continue addressing local needs. As the city works to complete and adopt its updated comprehensive plan, we are proud to continue this partnership.
TxTC has partnered with the City of Nolanville for over a decade to support planning in this Central Texas community, located just 10 miles east of Fort Cavazos, the largest army base in the country. Our work began in 2014 when we collaborated with the City and convened local leaders and residents to develop Nolanville’s first comprehensive plan. Then in 2019, we helped update the plan to incorporate “smart” city strategies through the ENDEAVR initiative, and better serve the city’s diverse and growing population.
Since then, Nolanville has actively used the plan to guide decisions and secure millions in grants and matching funds. The city has seen clear outcomes, including new community facilities, affordable housing, more parks and sidewalks, and expanded community events. In 2025, we partnered again to update the plan, setting priorities such as strengthening the local economy, improving infrastructure and services, and addressing everyday challenges for residents.
Our long-standing collaboration with Nolanville highlights how sustained university involvement can help small towns plan for growth. Nolanville may be small, but it has strong community ties, active local programming, creative approaches, and a willingness to embrace technology. Over the past year, four graduate courses looked at ways to build on these strengths and advance the city’s planning effort
PLAN 662 designed the engagement process to understand Nolanville’s evolving needs and developed strategies grounded in local input and data. The class focused on a mix of housing options, support for local businesses, community facilities, protection of natural resources, and resilience.
"The students in the Applied Transportation Studio course have benefited for several years from our partnership with Texas Target Communities. Most recently, the students developed the Transportation Chapter of a Comprehensive Plan for the City of Nolanville, Texas in the class. This partnership allows the students to get 'real-world' experience working with community stakeholders - hearing their desires, incorporating that in the plan, and presenting a final product. These experiences give students insight into the planning process and juggling stakeholder feedback while at the same time providing a valuable product for a community - it is a win-win for everyone involved!"
- Bill Eisele
PLAN 678 led the transportation section, assessing roads, bike and pedestrian networks, transit, crash data, and links to parks and school. The class proposed a thoroughfare plan, safer street designs, and strategies to ease congestion and improve rail crossings.
LAND 602 explored the area along Nolan Creek and developed concept designs around five themes: Sports with recreational facilities, Nature through trails and wetlands, Culture by extending Main Street, Ranch uses like agriculture and smart farming, and Living with diverse housing options. These concepts offered Nolanville ideas to consider for future development of the creek corridor.
“TxTC acted as a bridge between the university and the community, connecting academic learning with real-world needs. In most landscape architecture studios, students work on hypothetical projects shaped by instructors, who serve as stand-in clients or client representatives. With TxTC involved, the studio moved away from abstract scenarios and toward a grounded, community-driven process. Their support helped my class understand Nolanville’s long-term goals. We created a design proposal for Nolan Creek Park that built on the city’s underrecognized natural resources. This would not have been possible without TxTC facilitating connections with city staff and community members. TxTC organized all engagement events—site visits, community workshops, design reviews, and pop-up events—and provided training to help students prepare.”
- Boqian Xu
Faculty & Staff: Jeewasmi Thapa, John T. Cooper Jr., Boqian Xu, Russell Reid, Bill Eisele, Cedric Shy
Students: Courtney Morgan, Adam Sieracki, Kate Thompson, Gabe Ural, Jacob Vaught, Parker Weinbaum, Windya Welideniya, Yiyang Xia, Rebekah Annan, Jenna Beyer, Yaohao Chen, Faith Jacob, Zach Lawton, Preston Loper, Nathaniel Robert, Melissa Hatton, Hanbeen Kim, Rueichi Chang, Sakshi Thambkar, Carrie Conton, Seth Tullos, Minhao Wu, Jannatul Ferdaus, Nathaniel Dyer, Fahad Chowdhury, Jiho Park, Daniel Gonzalez, and Jiayuan Liu