AUSTIN, TX — Wendy Bonneau, FAICP, Urban Planning and Design Practice Leader at Freese and Nichols, led a featured session at the inaugural Texas City Manager Institute focused on how cities can plan, prioritize, and invest to build resilient, future-ready communities.
Bonneau's session, “How Cities Build for the Future,” brought together Texas assistant city managers, city managers, and department heads for a practical, leadership-focused look at how municipalities can align planning, capital investment, and partnerships to support sustainable growth. The session focused on equipping public-sector leaders with immediate tools they can use to guide development, manage infrastructure, and make data-driven decisions that reflect community values.
Drawing on more than three decades of experience working with Texas communities, Bonneau led participants through the full scope of municipal planning, including comprehensive plans, zoning, transportation, utilities, parks, and hazard mitigation. She emphasized that these plans are most effective when they are coordinated rather than developed in silos, a core principle behind Freese and Nichols’ integrated planning approach.
“Cities are under constant pressure to do more with limited resources,” Bonneau said during the session. “When planning efforts, budgets, and capital improvement programs are aligned, communities can stretch every dollar further while delivering projects that truly support long-term goals.”
A significant portion of the session focused on long-range planning best practices, capital improvement planning, and implementation. Bonneau outlined how cities can move from vision to execution by prioritizing projects, coordinating across departments, and aligning capital programs with financial forecasting and budgeting. She also addressed the growing role of public-private partnerships, highlighting how collaboration with private partners can accelerate delivery, share risk, and unlock innovation when aligned with a city’s long-term plans.
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The Texas City Management Institute launched this year to support leadership development for current and emerging municipal leaders. Bonneau's session highlighted Freese and Nichols’ role as a partner to Texas cities, helping communities move from planning to implementation as they prepare for the future.
