CONNECTING THE CITY dallas citydesign studio
CONNECTING THE CITY dallas citydesign studio
CONTENT PREFACE.............................................................................................................5 CONNECTING THE CITY...............................................................................9 INFORMING.....................................................................................................11 CITY SHAPING..................................................................................................13 BIGTHOUGHT...................................................................................................19 LONGING FOR BEAUTY.................................................................................25 CITY EVOLUTION............................................................................................31 IDENTIFYING..................................................................................................37 URBAN DESIGN MATTERS............................................................................39 CULTURE MAPPING........................................................................................45 APPLYING.........................................................................................................51 LIVING PLAZA...................................................................................................53 PARKING DAY...................................................................................................59 PLANNING.......................................................................................................65 POWER ART.......................................................................................................67 ROSS CONNECTION.......................................................................................73 WEST DALLAS...................................................................................................79 LINC DALLAS....................................................................................................85 THANK YOU....................................................................................................91
CONNECTING THE CITY
6 - CONNECTING THE CITY
PREFACE In October 2009, Mayor Tom Leppert announced the creation of the CityDesign Studio as an office of the City of Dallas. Developed in partnership with the Trinity Trust Foundation and funded through a generous gift from Deedie and Rusty Rose, the Studio serves to [1] convene the municipal, professional and resident communities in the deliberate public design of Dallas, [2] bring a heightened consciousness of design to the city, and [3] deliver thoughtful design to areas that have been historically neglected in our city and primarily along the Trinity River. We believe design can improve lives and transform the places where we live, work, and play. In order to do this we employ a collaborative approach bringing together community leaders, designers, and local residents.
The City of Dallas is comprised of over 342 square miles and 1.2 million people. At our core are the Trinity River and the Great Trinity Forest. With over 20,000 acres committed to recreation coupled with flood management a new direction is blooming for Dallas. The Trinity Trust Foundation works to forward the City of Dallas’s vision of the $2.2 billion Trinity River Corridor Project, the largest and most complex public works and urban development project ever undertaken by the City of Dallas. The project consists of five major components: flood protection, transportation, recreation, environmental, restoration, and community development.
CONNECTING THE CITY
With the launch of the Trinity River Corridor Project, many of the communities along its path will experience development speculation and other attention due to their prime geographic location. These communities have historically been neglected, resulting in either heavy industrial use and/ or underinvestment, leading to challenging environments for healthy neighborhoods. The CityDesign Studio has been specifically charged to bring community-based design efforts to these areas in order to develop new methods for enabling sustainable development. Since our founding, we have convened community leaders, residents, local professionals, developers, investors and various design organizations to discuss how we think about
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these areas in our city. This work has occurred in large & small gatherings, at City Hall and in living rooms, in order for the Studio to develop an equitable understanding of the interests of those affected by change and those working to create change. The Studio’s mission is to engage all communities in city planning, urban design, and the arts.
On the Maragaret Hunt Hill Bridge looking to the sky
CONNECTING THE CITY
PROJECTS SITES1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
City Shaping Big Thought Longing for Beauty City Evolution Urban Design Matters Culture Mapping (Citywide) Living Plaza Parking Day Power Art Ross Connection West Dallas LINC Dallas
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CONNECTING THE CITY On July 20, 2010, the City of Dallas submitted an application for a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts as part of the Mayors’ Institute on City Design 25th Anniversary Initiative to fund the Dallas CityDesign Studio’s Connecting the City Project. On August 24, 2010, the City received notice of the award from the National Endowment of the Arts in the amount of $100,000 to support the Studio’s efforts through March 2012. In anticipation of the opening of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, the CityDesign Studio launched its Connecting the City initiative. The Studio applied the grant toward this endeavor highlighting how design can overcome physical barriers separating Dallas communities. Work included cultural
mapping of the creative community; design of communities along the Trinity Corridor, such as West Dallas, South Dallas, and Oak Cliff; and public art competitions engaging public infrastructure where it has divided or become a burden to communities. Our work through Connecting the City allowed the Studio to [1] engage citizens, local art/design professionals and experts from across the country in a dialogue about Dallas’ physical form; [2] deploy planning and community design efforts in historically underserved communities along the Trinity River Corridor; and [3] plan connections between neighborhoods and cultural assets. This document represents the compendium of work that comprises our Connecting the City initiative.
CONNECTING THE CITY
INFORMING
MISSIONTo share knowledge about urban design and stress the importance of engaging the community through out the entire design process.
Dallas Museum of Arts, Horchow Auditorium
14 - Informing
CITY SHAPING
“
The Dallas CityDesign Studio teamed up with municipal
Director of Planning for Vancouver and Dallas CityDesign
design studios across North America to host talks about the
Studio Special Advisor. In the spring, Scot Hein, Senior Urban
emergence of these unique studios.
Designer for the City of Vancouver, spoke at the Dallas Center
THE HOLISTIC EXPERIENCE OF THE CITY IS WHAT’S BEEN TRADED AWAY AND WHAT MANY OF US LONG FOR IN OUR CITIES TODAY. Larry Beasley, Beasley & Associates, Planning Inc.
for Architecture about the design and planning of Olympic In the summer of 2011, design studios from Los Angeles,
Village, which was designated the world’s most liveable
Seattle, and Dallas convened at the Dallas Museum of Arts
community by the United Nations Environmental Program.
Horchow Auditorium and Dallas City Hall to discuss the role and impact a focused urban design effort plays in shaping
The speakers covered topics ranging from the future
cities. The panel featured architects, urban designers and
growth of downtown, sustainable planning and design,
planners: Simon Pastucha of LA Urban Design Studio; Lyle
and the importance of visioning. Most importantly across
Bicknell of Seattle CityDesign Studio; Brent Brown and David
all participants was the necessity to engage the entire local
Whitley of Dallas CityDesign Studio and; Larry Beasley, retired
community in the design process.
SPEAKERS
CONNECTING In 2011, municipal design studios/ centers existed in a handful of cities throughout North America. The first City Shaping collaboration brought four of the municipal design studios/centers together in Dallas to share their work and explain efforts in their cities. Though each studio has a vast array of projects, all work toward the common goal of enhancing the public realm and creating a higher quality of life in their city; as well as, increasing public dialogue and elevating awareness about design helps cities achieve these goals. The second City Shaping collaboration brought Scot Hein, to speak about Vancouver’s design studio which has been in existence for over thirty years. He also spoke about the design and planning of Olympic Village, which was Lyle Bicknell, Principal Urban Designer for Seattle’s Department of Planning spoke at a brown bag lunch at CityDesign Studio to Dallas city staff
16 - Informing
designated the world’s most liveable community by the United Nations. Vancouver’s studio is a model of what Dallas’ CityDesign Studio can become and how it can operate as a viable city entity to shape change. Holding a recurring dialog between the municipal city design centers/studio around the country, showcases the connection between cities and points to the importance of sharing knowledge around the same goal: to create a design thinking culture in our cities.
Simon Pastuche, Director Los Angeles Urban Design Studio delivers remarks in the evening at the Dallas Museum of Art
SPEAKERS
LEARNING The Studio is a strong advocate of collaboration and knowledge sharing. We believe the studio plays a critical role convening forums where those who have direct experience as well as those who are developing new approaches can engage with local practitioners. The speakers shared their wisdom in multiple settings, including a brown bag lunch lecture with Dallas city staff, and at an evening lecture open to the public. Each venue offered a different reading, reached out to different constituents, and produced different conversation.
Larry Beasley, Advisor to the Dallas CityDesign Studio addresses the audience
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CONTINUING The Dallas CityDesign Studio is one of the newest municipal design centers in North America. A key part of our mission is to increase the public dialog around urban design. As we do this, we have been fortunate to establish key alliances with other design studios providing the opportunity to debate contemporary issues, share lessons learned and illustrate best practices crucial to the creation of great cities. As part of this continuing conversation the CityDesign Studio spearheaded a panel discussion including studio representatives from Portland, OR, San Francisco, CA, Los Angeles, CA, Raleigh, NC, and Dallas, TX, at the American Planning Association national conference held in Los Angeles in April 2012. Scot Hein, Senior Urban Designer at the City of Vancouver
SPEAKERS
MISSIONTo make children’s imaginations a part of everyday learning and to envision communities where every learner is immersed every day in opportunities to imagine, create, and succeed.
Dallas City Hall
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“
ALWAYS DESIGN A THING BY CONSIDERING IT IN ITS NEXT LARGER CONTEXT - A CHAIR IN A ROOM, A ROOM IN A HOUSE, A HOUSE IN AN ENVIRONMENT, AN ENVIRONMENT IN A CITY PLAN.
BIG THOUGHT In April 2011, more than 50 Dallas ISD middle school students participated in the spring break camp, Thriving Minds Career Connections. The experience exposed participants to a wide range of creative careers and the education path required to become a design practitioner. The students visited the CityDesign Studio where the Studio’s team, along with other city staff, shared their varied experiences and used current projects to illustrate the building blocks of quality urban design. The camp was brought to a close with the students spending the greatest amount of time directly participating in a city building exercise where they applied what they had learned designing and making a model livable city.
Eliel Saarinen, Architect
outside the classroom. Students were grouped into two teams. A ‘land development’ team and a ‘building’ team each with their own instruction for accomplishing city building. With paper, cardboard, tape, markers, glue, and scissors, a city began to take shape in City Hall’s atrium. Streets, bridges crossing a large river, bike lanes, small urban parks and a large natural park became the city’s canvas from the ‘land development’ team. Meanwhile, members of the ‘building’ team built highrise office and residential, civic, and entertainment buildings to make up the downtown portion of the city. Smaller single family homes and neighborhood retail buildings filled the inner ring suburbs. By the end of the afternoon a new city had been formed.
The day’s activity was a joint effort by CityDesign Studio and Big Thought, a non-profit dedicated to hands-on education
BIG THOUGHT
CONNECTING A city has many layers. Over the course of its development it goes through many iterations making it what we experience today. Thousands of design decisions have shaped the city. The best way to understand how it works is through observation and the direct connections we make through the engagement and use of the city. At the beginning of the city building exercise students were asked: How is a city experienced at the street level? And, what uses help to make the city work? By asking these two questions, we were able to generate a conversation in terms of experiential understanding, spatial awareness, and the confluences of diversity of uses. The street is the mot fundamental piece of city building. Street life influences
22 - Informing
Construction paper and tape city
neighborhood life, which in turn influences community solidarity. As the strength of the city can be determined by the strength of its’ neighborhoods it is the street that not only connects us from one place to another but where urban design shapes the quality of a place. By challenging the students to think about these questions and then design a city, we challenged them to grapple with the complex connections that occur throughout the many scales of a city. This simple exercise moved the conversation beyond technical thinking engaging the students local knowledge of living in a city. Their experiences coupled with observations challenged the students to think deliberately about their design and critically how it dealt with issues of access, permeability, the importance of form, and the urban quality of city living. Parents and teachers look on as the students participate
BIG THOUGHT
LEARNING Students started with a question, construction paper, markers and tape, and what they ended up with was a the knowledge of what it takes to build a city. They worked within the framework of observation and design and were able to create a detailed view of a city. The tape-road networks provided connectivity and took into account the ease and flow of traffic, the buildings had different forms. Some had windows and doors and people drawn on them, some were labeled, some were big and some were small, there were even bridges. Watching the students build we realized there is an intrinsic nature about the way we understand how the city is organized and that people have a fundamental awareness of it. It reminds us that when we are building cities the most important input comes from the community.
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Construction paper and tape city building close-up
CONTINUING To teach, educate, and inspire our citizens to become more aware of their city is a pervasive theme in the Studio’s work. Through our partnership with Big Thought, CityDesign Studio was able to engage young-adults in the experience of investigating and dreaming about the city. Teaching young students to work together to solve problems while applying design thinking, opens a much broader set of implications for the future of Dallas. Perhaps, today’s students will become tomorrow’s city builders always listening to the wide variety of perspectives, learning from each other, and continuing the conversation of what it takes to build a city.
Students talking about their city
BIG THOUGHT
MISSIONTo examine beauty and the city with city planners, designers, global thinkers, local civic leaders and the community.
Dallas Institute
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“
WHAT MAKES A CITY? Gail Thomas, Trinity Trust Foundation
LONGING FOR BEAUTY In November of 2011, a two-and-a-half-day conference, called Longing for Beauty, celebrating 30 years of spiritual and archetypal psychology, publications, and urban programs was held at the Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture. The conference was guided by the ground-breaking work in psychology by Robert Sardello, James Hillman, and Thomas Moore. In the early 1980’s, these thought leaders collaborated at the Dallas Institute developing original “soul work” going on to achieve their separate distinctions. The conference served as both a reunion of past contributors to the Institute’s work as well as a serious exploration of the theme, “Longing for Beauty.” The programs, inspired by Dr. Gail Thomas, focused on the study of cities. The CityDesign Studio, in sponsoring this event, expanded the conversation about city-building.
LONGING FOR BEAUTY
CONNECTING This multi-day symposium brought together individuals from Dallas as well as from across the country. It provided the opportunity to convene and connect disciplines from the humanities, civic activism, city leadership and design around the central discussion about place and more specifically Dallas. The variety of experiences combined with the many unique perspectives created a distinct experience for the participants not commonly found when discussing the contemporary city.
Gail Thomas, Trinity Trust, wearing blue, sits and watches as the speakers deliver their presentations
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Larry Beasley, Dallas CityDesign Studio Advisor
Mary Suhm, Dallas City Manager
LONGING FOR BEAUTY
LEARNING The symposium challenged participants to reflect upon past conversations about Dallas from thought leaders such as Jane Jacobs, William H. Whyte, and take a renewed look at their ideas through the lens of contemporary issues. The speakers highlighted the importance of population density and pedestrian designed cities. They advocated for broader systematic changes which included simplified building code, and stressed the importance of social justice in the evolution of urban design, as well as the planning practices that involved the community input through out the design process to create livable neighborhoods and cities.
Above: Dr. Larry Allums, Below: Brent Brown
30 - Informing
Dr. Joanne Stroud
CONTINUING The impact of the conference is expected to be long-lasting as connections and relationships were fostered among participants. The anticipated effects include future collaborations and partnerships in city-building endeavors. We also encouraged audience members to harness their own agency and being locally to make their neighborhood more walkable. After the conference, a class called “City Design and the Future of Dallas� was created to continue the dialog; taught by CityDesign Studio Director Brent Brown and conducted at the Dallas Institute.
Brent Brown & Jason Roberts, founder of Better Blocks
LONGING FOR BEAUTY
MISSIONTo educate the community, create a dialog about Dallas, and use as a tool to enhance live, work, and play socially.
Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge
32 - Informing
CITY EVOLUTION
“
The weekend of March 2, 2012, the Margaret Hunt Hill bridge opened for a public celebration. It was the debut of Dallas’ newest architectural icon connecting Downtown Dallas to West Dallas over the Trinity River. The opening celebration attracted more than 40,000 people from Friday through Sunday for a once-in-a-lifetime chance to walk, run, and party on the bridge. It marked the culmination of five years of construction which began on June 14, 2007.
space. CityDesign Studio created a visual timeline depicting the evolution of Dallas from its beginning in 1845 to present. Showcasing four elements of urban design: parks and open space, city growth, buildings, and transportation, we asked the question, How can urban design help shape Dallas? bcWORKSHOP presented their new city-wide neighborhood map while capturing stories from people on the bridge around the theme “Know your neighborhood.”
In conjunction with the bridge opening, CityDesign Studio created an installation to interact and inform the public. The theme centered around how people connected to the city. Collaborating with bcWORKSHOP, a non-profit public design organization, the booth became a shared gallery
Together, CityDesign Studio and bcWORKSHOP transformed a 10x20 area into a space for learning and the exchanging of ideas about Dallas. This ability to share knowledge is a valuable resource for creating an informed community and provides a sense of ownership about the city’s memory and evolution.
THE BRIDGE IS BUILT NOT ONLY WITH STEEL, CONCRETE, AND PURE MATERIAL...IT IS BUILT WITH COURAGE, IT IS BUILT WITH FAITH, AND IT IS BUILT WITH LOVE. Santiago Calatrava, Architect for the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge
CITY EVOLUTION
CONNECTING The opening of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge offered an opportunity to engage hundreds of people in a conversation about our city. It also served as a venue to inform people about urban design and the important role it can play in the future of Dallas. The gallery presented alternative ways to look at Dallas. The visual timeline allowed people to see Dallas in history emphasizing the importance of design as a way to further connectivity. The neighborhood map and capturing of stories exhibited the importance of oral history and a sense of community place that exists within the fabric of the built environment.
Citizens locating where they are from on a map of Dallas neighborhoods
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The day was a joint collaboration between CityDesign Studio and bcWORKSHOP
View of the Margaret Hunt Hill bridge arch
CITY EVOLUTION
LEARNING The gallery offered people an opportunity to think about the city’s future and it’s memory - to think and reflect about what changes they would like to see. The last panel of the timeline gave people an opportunity to express those changes in Dallas. They were given sticky notes and asked to write down their ideas. The results ranged from bike lanes, trolley cars, dog parks, cultural events, more trails, the need for walkability, less cars, less architects, less bridges, more landscaping, people working together and much, much more. It was a very revealing exercise and it illuminated the sentiment that design is not always about the tangible elements, but that good city design happens through strong physical, social, and emotional connections. bcWORKSHOP designers capturing neighborhood stories
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Evan Sheets, CityDesign Studio Intern, talking to volunteer
CONTINUING The visual timeline and the city neighborhoods map are design tools that allow us to see connections in the city differently from a historical standpoint and to understand how communities arrange themselves and interact with each other. In the future, these tools can be used to continue the conversation about connectivity and what it means to shape the city. Through city shaping we are able to reach out to community members, and through listening and observation helps them reach an improved vision for their community.
Gallery on the bridge at night
CITY EVOLUTION
P
IDENTIFYING
MISSIONTo highlight good urban design in Dallas. To talk to the community and open up a dialog about the importance that design thinking and design practices play in improving the cohesiveness and vitality of Dallas.
Urban Design Matters locations
40 - Identifying
“
EVERYTHING WE’VE ATTAINED WE OWE IT TO THE CITY. Arthur Erickson, Architect & Planner
URBAN DESIGN MATTERS Urban Design Matters as a campaign began in May of 2011 and ran through November 2011. The intention of the campaign was to spur dialog around urban design by highlighting quality urban spaces in Dallas. This was accomplished through the illustration of the various components that make each place enjoyable and attractive for living. The Studio sees urban design as the art of making ‘quality places’ for people by blending architecture, open space, and the street. These physical elements coupled with our individual experiences help to connect people with place.
sidewalk graphics located in each of the highlighted areas provided information about the specific area using a quick response (QR) code, your smart phone and an interactive website. Third, a speaker series comprised of local and national design professionals, City of Dallas staff and local advocates. The Urban Design Matters campaign gave citizens the opportunity to learn about the city, tell the Studio what they would like to see in their city, and elevated the importance of an on-going open dialog about good design.
The campaign employed four strategies for implementation. First a traveling library exhibition pin-pointing seven examples of good urban design around Dallas. Second, a series of large
URBAN DESIGN MATTERS
CONNECTING The places that were chosen to highlight were derived from multiple locations around the city. These including the Bishop Arts District, Main Street, Stone Place in Downtown, State Thomas, West End, West Village and Jefferson Boulevard. These places reveal pockets of activity around the city that support and promote quality urban design. They are all examples commonly cited by the community as places people enjoy. Each area has its own character and connects to its respective community in a different way. For instance the Bishop Arts District is focused on small locally owned shops and restaurants with a young professional vibe. Stone Place was historically an alleyway that was transformed into an active restaurant destination with outdoor seating, while Deep Ellum was an older warehouse Location where street decal was placed around the city
42 - Identifying
that contribute to the comfort and safety of the pedestrian.
Marked Crosswalks- Marked crosswalks in Deep Ellum are an important tool for enabling
pedestrians to move safely, conveniently and predictably across its streets. When treated with decorative paving material, crosswalks add a unique streetscape design treatment linking it with its historic stock of buildings and emphasizing pedestrians’ presence and primacy.
Street Trees- Street trees in Deep Ellum not only enhance the character of the street and neighborhood, but they help make streets appear narrower to drivers, causing slower driving speeds. They also provide an extra buffer layer between the pedestrian and the street.
LARGE SIDEWALKS
dallas citydesign studio / why urban design matters
DEEP ELLUM
district that has been reinvented as a hub for public art, music, food and entertainment.
AREA LAND USE
MAIN ST @ N WALTON ST
area summary
Located on the east side of the North Central Expressway between Baylor Medical District and I-30, Deep Ellum is a neighborhood of early 20th century low rise brick buildings. Having a long history of rebirth through music and culture, Deep Ellum is once again experiencing its reinvention. The current building stock allows for a wide range of adaptive re-use development scenarios. The structure and form of warehouse and factory buildings has allowed for live-work situations to grow and has spurred a many forms of development. Rail commute has returned with DART stops nearby. A hub for public art, music, food, and festivals, Deep Ellum is applying quality Urban Design techniques in its latest re-birth.
By looking at each areas specific urban design condition we are better able to understand how these places connect to their surrounding neighborhoods as well as the city as a whole.
elm st
20% RESIDENTIAL
17% CIVIC
6% INDUSTRIAL
13% OFFICE
40% RETAIL
walton
4% RESTAURANT main st
st
mx
malcol
rce st
comme
“All data gathered, illustrated, and diagramed reflects information compiled in April 2010 from the City of Dallas. Data was extrapolated from current City of Dallas GIS database from multiple departments and reflects the most current information available.”
DEEP ELLUM / URBAN ANALYSIS DESIGN ELEMENTS what makes this space work
Buildings
Windows Facing the Street- Deep Ellum has much of its streetwall open and expressive, reaching out to the street, giving its space a fine human scale just where it means the most: up close and at eye level. Not only do the buildings provide interest to passers-by, but it makes its function apparent. Mix of Uses- Deep Ellum has a diversity of uses that can better support residential development and decrease the need for commuting, allowing for people to live, shop, recreate and work in a walkable area. Adaptable Spaces- Deep Ellum has many different buildings, but the configuration of the building (its height, width, depth, and structure layout), access to the building, and amount and configuration of internal space has allowed for buildings to be personalized and adapted for a variety of uses over time.
Public Realm
MIX OF USES
ON STREET PARKING
Street Trees- An important organizing element, street trees in Deep Ellum enhance the character of the street and neighborhood, making streets appear narrower to drivers, causing slower driving speeds. They also provide the added benefit of mitigating air and noise pollution, providing shade and reducing the heat island effect making walking and lingering in the streets more enjoyable. Café Seating- Merchants in Deep Ellum enjoy the opportunity to provide outdoor seating
areas where sidewalks are extended and where buildings step back from the street engaging the public realm, breaking down the barriers to indoor/outdoor space, bringing activity to the street and a wonderful means for people watching.
Lighting- Deep Ellum provides lighting of a consistent and appropriate historical design scaled to the pedestrian rather than the automobile. The result is a well lit place with particular care given to vehicle and pedestrian conflict points and light that spills out of façades making for a safe and unthreatening destination. Public Art- Deep Ellum has built up a variety of public art installations such as murals, sculpture and civic art that promote interaction and communication among people who use the space. Public Art speaks to the unique character of Deep Ellum conveying its character, personality, history, and spirit. STREET TREES
Safety
On-Street Parking- A sense of safety is provided to pedestrians in Deep Ellum by the use of on-street parking. Parking provides a physical barrier between traffic and pedestrian movement and also acts as a traffic calming feature, slowing drivers in the curbside lane. Large Sidewalks– Deep Ellum has expanded sidewalks in many areas. This provides additional capacity for pedestrians, landscaping, café seating, and street furniture, all elements that contribute to the comfort and safety of the pedestrian. Marked Crosswalks- Marked crosswalks in Deep Ellum are an important tool for enabling pedestrians to move safely, conveniently and predictably across its streets. When treated with decorative paving material, crosswalks add a unique streetscape design treatment linking it with its historic stock of buildings and emphasizing pedestrians’ presence and primacy. Street Trees- Street trees in Deep Ellum not only enhance the character of the street and neighborhood, but they help make streets appear narrower to drivers, causing slower driving speeds. They also provide an extra buffer layer between the pedestrian and the street.
31 %
PEDESTRIAN
AREA LAND USE
LARGE SIDEWALKS
4% RESTAURANT
20% RESIDENTIAL
17% CIVIC
6% INDUSTRIAL
13% OFFICE
40% RETAIL
44 %
BUILDING
56 %
PAVEMENT
BIKE
TRAIL
13 %
BIKE
56 %
AUTOMOTIVE
BUS
ON STREET PARKING
31 %
PEDESTRIAN BUILDING PAVEMENT OPEN SPACE LAND FORM WITHIN A 10 MIN WALK
44 % 56 %
BIKE
RAIL
BIKE
56 % 4%
TRANSPORTATION ACCESS SHARE WITHIN A 10 MIN WALK
OPEN SPACE
Access Options:
RAIL
4%
TRAIL
13 %
AUTOMOTIVE
BUS
LAND FORM WITHIN A 10 MIN WALK
TRAIN WALKING TIME TO PUBLIC AMENITIES = 5 min. walk
Urban Design Matters exhibit board
TRANSPORTATION ACCESS SHARE WITHIN A 10 MIN WALK
TRAIN WALKING TIME TO PUBLIC AMENITIES = 5 min. walk
Deep Ellum area land use measures close u
URBAN DESIGN MATTERS
WEST END / URBAN ANALYSIS “All data gathered, illustrated, and diagramed reflects information compiled in April 2010 from the City of Dallas. Data was extrapolated from current City of Dallas GIS database from multiple departments and reflects the most current information available.”
STATE THOMAS / URBAN ANALYSIS DESIGN ELEMENTS
Proportion of Space-The three dimensional mass of each building in The West End helps define the public realm. Building elevations and the cross-section of public spaces are scaled to foster a sense of urbanism where streets and pedestrian areas are defined by appropriately scaled buildings and/or trees fronting onto them.
Proportion of Space- The three dimensional mass of each building in State Thomas helps
define the public realm. Building elevations and the cross-section of public spaces are scaled to foster a sense of urbanism where streets and pedestrian areas are defined by appropriately scaled buildings and/or trees fronting onto them.
Front Stoop- State Thomas residential buildings are designed to accommodate individual raised entries and stoops, creating a private grade-separated space for residents while maintain views to the street. Maximum Setback- State Thomas requires buildings to conform to a common building line creating continuity of frontage and provides definition and enclosure to the public realm. Minimizing set-back distances increases interaction with the public realm and ensures development is properly integrated into existing streets.
Iconic Design-The West End has a large concentration of unique and historical buildings preserved over the years. The visual form of these masonry structures, the rich architectural detailing, and dense form that now provides an identity for this area.
Public Realm
LEARNING
what makes this space work
Buildings
what makes this space work
Buildings
FRONT STOOP
Public Seating-Merchants in the West End enjoy the opportunity areas where sidewalks are extended engaging the public realm, b to indoor/outdoor space, bringing activity to the street and a wo watching.
DESIGN ELEMENTS
Street Trees- An important organizing element, street trees in State Thomas enhance the
character of the street and neighborhood, making streets appear narrower to drivers, causing slower driving speeds. They also provide the added benefit of mitigating air and noise pollution, providing shade and reducing the heat island effect making walking and lingering in the streets more enjoyable.
Signage-A comprehensive sign program in the West End helps ar identify businesses, buildings, facilities, activities, and navigate with
Windows Facing the Street-The West End has much of its façade open and expressive, reaching out to the street, giving its space a fine human scale just where it means the most: up close and at eye level. Not only do the buildings provide interest to passers-by, but it makes its function apparent.
Lighting- State Thomas provides beautiful lighting of a consistent design scaled to the pedestrian rather than the automobile. The result is a well lit place with particular care given to vehicle and pedestrian conflict points and light that spills out of generous façade penetrations makes for a safe and unthreatening destination.
In each area we asked the question: Adaptable spacesWhat makes this space work? We focused on the design of buildings, elements Public Realm TO PUBLIC TRANSIT PROXIMITY Street Treesof the public realm such as sidewalks, trees, seating, signage, and lighting. Public SeatingAREA LAND USE We looked at what types of uses were permitted within the buildings and Signagenearby open space and what access to Lightingtransit choices such as trail, bike, bus, and train were present. We gained a Safety Change in Paving detailed understanding of how design Marked Crosswalks shaped the identity for each of the areas profiled. Sharing this technical review with the larger community provided the opportunity for a deeper understanding AREA LAND USE of why one might enjoy a particular place, and how the elements both physical and contextual, contribute to our experience. Café Seating-Merchants in State Thomas enjoy the opportunity to provide outdoor seating areas where sidewalks are extended engaging the public realm, breaking down the barriers to indoor/outdoor space, bringing activity to the street and a wonderful means for people watching.
The West End has many different buildings, but the configuration of the building (its height, width, depth, and structure layout), access to the building, and amount and configuration of internal space has allowed for buildings to be personalized and adapted for a variety of uses over time.
WINDOWS FACING THE STREET Safety
Change in Paving- State Thomas has several shared space lanes. These lanes are narrow, patterned to provide easy pedestrian and cyclist access but also allowing slow traffic for local access.
SHADE TREES
Entries and Windows Facing Street – High Level of Access and Fenestration-State Thomas has much of its façade open and expressive by use of individual residential entries and windows reaching out to the street, giving its space a fine human scale just where it means the most: up close and at eye level. The notion of defensible space, “eyes on the street” and clear sight lines support an environment which maximizes the casual surveillance of public areas.
Lighting-The West End provides lighting of a consistent and ap scaled to the pedestrian rather than the automobile. The result is a w care given to vehicle and pedestrian conflict points and light that s for a safe and unthreatening destination.
An important organizing element, street trees in The West End enhance the character of the street and neighborhood, making streets appear narrower to drivers, causing slower driving speeds. They also provide the added benefit of mitigating air and noise pollution, providing shade and reducing the heat island effect making walking and lingering in the streets more enjoyable.
Street Trees- Street trees in State Thomas not only enhance the character of the street and
neighborhood, but they help make streets appear narrower to drivers, causing slower driving speeds. They also provide an extra buffer layer between the pedestrian and the street.
On-Street Parking- A sense of safety is provided to pedestrians in State Thomas by the use of on-street parking. Parking provides a physical barrier between traffic and pedestrian movement and also acts as a traffic calming feature, slowing drivers in the curbside lane.
Merchants in the West End enjoy the opportunity to provide outdoor seating areas where sidewalks are extended engaging the public realm, breaking down the barriers to indoor/outdoor space, bringing activity to the street and a wonderful means for people watching.
CHANGE IN PAVING
PROXIMITY 0% CIVIC TO PUBLIC TRANSIT
Safety
A comprehensive sign program in the West End helps area visitors’ sense of safety, identify businesses, buildings, facilities, activities, and navigate within and out of the area.
79% RESIDENTIAL
2% RESTAURANT
Change in Paving-The West End has several shared space lane patterned to provide easy pedestrian and cyclist access but also all access.
The West End provides lighting of a consistent and appropriate historical design scaled to the pedestrian rather than the automobile. The result is a well lit place with particular care given to vehicle and pedestrian conflict points and light that spills out of façades making for a safe and unthreatening destination.
0% INDUSTRIAL
SHARED SPACE PARKING
5% OFFICE
BUILDING
33 %
41 %
PAVEMENT
OPEN SPACE
26 %
LAND FORM WITHIN A 10 MIN WALK
-The West End has several shared space lanes. These lanes are narrow, patterned to provide easy pedestrian and cyclist access butAccess also Options: allowing slow traffic for local access.
14% RETAIL
25 %
PEDESTRIAN BIKE
13 %
BIKE
44 %
AUTOMOTIVE RAIL
Marked Crosswalks-Marked crosswalks in the West End are an im pedestrians to move safely, conveniently and predictably across its decorative paving material, crosswalks add a unique streetscape d with its historic stock of buildings and emphasizing pedestrians’ pre
TRAIL
-Marked crosswalks in the West End are an important tool for enabling pedestrians to move safely, conveniently and predictably across its streets. When treated with decorative paving material, crosswalks add a unique streetscape design treatment linking it with its historic stock of buildings and emphasizing pedestrians’ presence and primacy.
BUS
18 %
TRAIN
TRANSPORTATION ACCESS SHARE WITHIN A 10 MIN WALK
WALKING TIME TO PUBLIC AMENITIES = 5 min. walk
Large Sidewalks The West End has expanded sidewalks in many areas. This provides additional capacity for pedestrians, landscaping, café seating, and street furniture, all elements that contribute to the comfort and safety of the pedestrian.
Large Sidewalks The West End has expanded sidewalks in many areas. This provid pedestrians, landscaping, café seating, and street furniture, all elem comfort and safety of the pedestrian.
GENEROUS SIDEWALKS WITH CAFE SEATING
9% RESTAURANT
33% RESIDENTIAL
18% CIVIC
0% INDUSTRIAL
Above: On-street parking and trees, Below: good outdoor seating ZZZZZZZZSIGNAGE REINFORCING THE CHARACTER OF THE AREA
GENEROUS SIDEWALKS WITH CAFE SEATING 32% OFFICE
Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Light Rail
AREA LAND USE
8% RETAIL
Access Options: PEDESTRIAN
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BUILDING
30 %
PAVEMENT OPEN SPACE LAND FORM WITHIN A 10 MIN WALK
BIKE
70 %
26 % 16 %
BIKE
40 %
AUTOMOTIVE RAIL
TRAIL
18 %
TRANSPORTATION ACCESS SHARE
BUS TRAIN WALKING TIME TO PUBLIC AMENITIES
CONTINUING The exhibit and the speakers that participated in the campaign were well received by the community. In its first iteration, Urban Design Matters established a rapport with the community, built credibility, and emphasized the importance of urban design in Dallas. We set up a framework that can be replicated in each of the four elements: exhibit, sidewalk graphics, speakers, and website. Moving forward we will work to discover new ways to deliver information about urban design. We see Urban Design Matters not only as an ongoing campaign advocating for a well informed citizenry with designed focused way of city building, but also a city where design is embedded in our organizational structure influening the everyday decisions shaping our city. David Whitley, Assistant Director of CityDesign Studio & Justin Tirsun, Intern
Kourtney Garrett, Vice President of Marketing for Downtown Dallas Inc
URBAN DESIGN MATTERS
MISSIONLocate professionals in the area that add and support the cultural capital of the city in order to build strong connections and shape opportunities for working together. To push Dallas forward by paying attention to social relationships and collaboration among different professional backgrounds.
City wide
46 - Identifying
“
I THINK DALLAS’ ART AND CULTURE ENVIRONMENT HAS IMPROVED GREATLY OVER THE LAST TEN YEARS - DON’T STOP! Dallas Resident
CULTURE MAPPING The Culture Mapping project began in June of 2011. The goal of this project was to map the areas in Dallas where professionals from the creative fields lived in order to identify potential connections between individuals, organizations, and community. It is the hope that these new connections will provide a conduit to create and strengthen grass roots community engagement that can then be leveraged to spur lasting revitalization. Examples in Dallas, such as the Design District, the Cedars, and north Oak Cliff have shown that the creative fields can serve as change agents for economic revitalization within a community. The process of Culture Mapping was accomplished through a survey of 191 local organizations related to fields of the
creative economy. Respondents answered questions about where they lived, how long they had worked in their field, and what amenities would make their neighborhoods more desirable? Using the results, we were able to generate an interactive map illustrating the creative density within our city. Culture Mapping has provided us with a visual reference for connecting people working in the creative fields to the places where they live and opened up the opportunity for communities to better understand the local resources available. As we continue to map, we will identify trends and patterns around creative residency as well as generate support for improving the capacity and numbers within the creative fields.
CULTURE MAPPING
CONNECTING Mapping the culture economy in Dallas highlights new opportunity for the City, creative industries, local organizations and culture producers in the economy. The City, its businesses and citizens, can best locate, advertise, and utilize the skills of the local cultural economy only if they know who and where they are. Organizations can better interconnect, grow their member base, and expand their project loads by better understanding the relationship of where their members live and work. Culture Mapping located where people live and work, identified organizations and their interlinking to one another, and provided a possible how to connect between these two.
How long have respondents lived at this zip code?
Majority of respondents expect to live in this zip code for less than a year Majority of respondents expect to live in this zip code between one and three more years Majority of respondents expect to live in this zip code between three and seven more years Majority of respondents expect to live in this zip code for seven or more years
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Population of Creative Industries in the Culture Economy of Dallas Data collected from Dallas’2011 Culture Mapping.
10% and above 2.0% to 9.9% 0% to 1.9%
11.7% 10% 8.7%
7.7%
4.2%
Culture mapping has helped us to see our creative community more clearly strengthening the City of Dallas and opening up possibilities to leverage this 21st century economic engine.
3.5%
rs
Writ er
s, Au
thor
s, or
Edit o
ners esig
s
Web D
l Art Visu a
rs phe
Pho
g Ar rmin
togr a
ts
2.0%
s
1.6%
3.7%
3.2%
Cho reog raph Man Dire ers age ctors rs in , Pr The oduc ater ers, or S or tage Fash ion or A ppa Film rel , TV, or V ideo Grap Arti hic D sts esig ner or Il lust rato r Indu Mul stria ti-M l De sign edia Arti sts o r An ima tors
rato r nist
Dan ce
rs or
ary
0.8%
ral A dmi
Culi n Cult u
Craf t Ar tist
Art D
irect or
1.6%
Arch itec t
Acto r
2.4%
3.2%
ician
4.0%
Perf o
3.8%
Mus
7.3%
10.2%
10%
Further more, the city can utilize this information to know where and how to contact creative professionals engaging this talent pool in solving local challenges and improving city planning or any number of neighborhood-related issues.
CULTURE MAPPING
LEARNING The most prolific discovery that emerged out of this process was the grouping of creative professionals, and the complex network of organizations to which they connect. We have also realized how the creative industries are distributed in Dallas. From the highest percentage including Writers, Web Designers, Visual Arts, and Graphic Designers to the smallest including Dancers, Directors, Producers or Managers in Theatre or Stage, as well as Culinary professionals we are able to get a sense of the Dallas cultural spectrum.
ARCHITECT
1% to 5% of the industry are here 5% to 10% of the industry are here 10% to 15% of the industry are here 15% or more of the industry are here Data collected from Dallas’2011 Culture Mapping. Example of Culture Mapping by a creative field
50 - Identifying
CONTINUING The process of Culture Mapping has just begun to give us an idea of where creative professionals congregate. Musicians, artists, graphic designers, architects, dancers, performers, actors, and the like bring a cultural flavor to the community that helps to create identity and character to the neighborhoods of our city. As this program continues, and we continue to map, we will gain a better understanding of our cultural centers in the city and be able to leverage their uniqueness in how we move forward in our design efforts.
Culture Mapping interactive map
CULTURE MAPPING
APPLYING
MISSIONTo create an active place for the community to interact with each other. To expand the view of public spaces in Dallas and to provide dynamic environments that bring people together.
Dallas City Hall
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“
WHAT ATTRACTS PEOPLE MOST, IN SUM IS OTHER PEOPLE. William H. Whyte, Sociologist
LIVING PLAZA Living Plaza occurred from April to October 2011. The event occurred once a month and was intended to bring people to Dallas’ City Hall Plaza through specific programmed activities. Living Plaza evolved out of a call from the community to activate this grand public space. The project took its cue from the recommendations of William H. Whyte, a prolific sociologist, who invited and visted Dallas in1983. His observations guided the plans and specific activities for the Living Plaza events. Living Plaza was a joint effort between the CityDesign Studio and the Office of Economic Development. Together with other city staff volunteers and community members the event was planned and held one Wednesday a month, during lunch time between 11:30 and 1:30pm, to coincide with a council agenda
day. The monthly installations happened on the plaza between the beautiful Henry Moore sculpture and the large circle reflection pool. Moveable chairs and tables, shade structures, additional landscaping, food concessions, recreational activities and entertainment contributed to the effort. The application of Living Plaza demonstrates that people are interested in using the plaza. It is the hope that by continuing Living Plaza people will see its importance as a community stage, become a commonplace for activity, and inspire activation of other public spaces around the city.
LIVING PLAZA
CONNECTING In its current state, the plaza faces a lot of challenges. Beginning with the required permit process to reserve the space, and considering the plaza’s physical design and scale with no residential density surrounding the space there are many reasons why the activity on the plaza in minimal. The plaza is enormous. At just over five acres, it is 2.5 times larger than Dallas’ Main Street Garden and twice as large as St. Mark’s Square in Venice. It lacks enclosure by its surroundings, is removed from the more vibrant parts of downtown, and it is out of scale with the individual. The plaza is hot during a large part of the year, seating is limited, and what little seating is available is generally unprotected from the elements and uncomfortable. Lastly, without Moveable Chairs
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Foodtrucks attracted activity & Poster of what people want to see on the Plaza
programmed space or concessions, the plaza becomes more a place for maintenance than people. City Hall Plaza is surrounded by a workforce audience of more than 2,000 people. If activated properly, the plaza could become a hub of activity for the surrounding businesses. But more than connecting the workforce audience, there is a need to use the plaza to connect the city. Living Plaza showed that people will use the plaza if there are things to do. It is a public forum, a stage, a place to enjoy life.
People enjoying plaza activities
LIVING PLAZA
LEARNING The Living Plaza monthly event helped provide amenities including food trucks, live music, movable chairs and tables, plants, and things that created a people oriented environment. Each Living Plaza was different and had a different following of people from around the city. As the event continued new people started to show up and others became accustomed to the idea of having entertainment and food options in close proximity. The take away from this event was to get people to see and experience the place in a different way and appreciate how small changes can have a big impact.
Citizens wrote their ideas on a dry erase board of what they would like to see in the city
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9
8
2
8
3
5
2 7
1
2
6
1
9
1
9
5 5
8
6 4
1 2 4
8 2
3
City Hall Plaza
5 1
1
2
6
5 5
2
MOVABLE TABLES & CHAIRS
3
BOCCE BALL COURT
4
SPLASH PARK & PLAY GROUND
CONTINUING
Living Plaza is now in its second iteration. The first version was mostly driven by city staff. Continuing forward, more 5 FOOD/ RETAIL KIOSKS community engagement will occur to 6 GREEN SPACE help with the organization of the Living Plaza events. This will increase planning 7 STAGE AREA participation and work to inform how 8 POTENTIAL DEVELOPMENT SITESpeople can use the plaza discovering 9 TEMPORARY OPEN PAVILLIONS new opportunities for use.
1
SHADE STRUCTURES
2
MOVABLE TABLES & CHAIRS
3
BOCCE BALL COURT
4
SPLASH PARK
5
FOOD/ RETAIL KIOSKS
6
GREEN SPACE
Also important , will be the introduction of less formal programming to the plaza. The introduction of pop-up stands, recreational equipment, lawn chairs, sidewalk chalk, and other similar small scale interventions. Finally, it is the hope that the Plaza be perceived as a loved community space engendering the need for other great public spaces throughout the city.
Proposal to activate plaza for a special event
6 4
SHADE STRUCTURES
5 7
1
1
5
1 2
Phase 3 [special events] LIVING PLAZA
MISSIONTo create discussion about the use of streets as public space in our communities.
Main Street, Downtown Dallas
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“
PARK(ING) DAY DALLAS IS SUPPOSED TO HELP DALLASITES AND VISITORS RETHINK THE FUNCTION OF OUR PUBLIC SPACES...AND HAVE FUN DOING IT. Noah Jeppson, Co-Organizer of Park(ing) Day
PARKING DAY On Friday, September 16th, the streets of Dallas were transformed. Spaces normally reserved for cars were alive with a myriad of activities — a 10×20 space usually filled with one vehicle could contain seating for 10, a miniature museum or a pop-up book shop. Parking spaces became scarce in a few select areas, trees and plants shocked the regular commuter; sculptures built from reclaimed materials, sofas, tables, a plethora of seating, grass, games and even a see-saw were in the spots usually reserved for cars. Sidewalks were filled with curious downtown visitors longing for a change of pace. Business executives, students, and downtown residents all shared these new spaces together. Even the riders of passing public transportation pressed against windows to watch the activity.
PARK(ing) Day began in San Francisco in 2006 as a social experiment to challenge our perceptions of public space and to create discussion about the use of public space in our communities. Since then, the idea has spread around the world, and today PARK installations pop up as far away as Iran, India, China and New Zealand. The annual event calls on citizens to reclaim streets and re-envision them as assets for community-building. Ideas for the transformed spaces are limitless, but all have the goal of bringing people together. PARK(ing) Day Dallas was an intervention emphasizing the principles of place-making. It furthered the conversation about downtown public spaces and how communities can reclaim them.
PARKING DAY
CONNECTING There were over 40 PARK installations in three separate downtown districts. Musicians and comedians provided entertainment throughout the day. While on street transformations lasted a few hours the experiences shared during the event has affected the city as it continues to grapple with how to develop urban solutions in a largely suburban geography. The public spaces created on PARK(ing) Day will have a lasting effect on the city of tomorrow. Dallas’ residents, businesses, and organizations came together on common ground — once reserved for the auto — sharing community building experiences and experimenting how to make alter our public realm to be a place for people first. CityDesign Studio PARK(ing) day space complete with see saw and bean bag toss
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Groups created PARK(ing) day spaces on Main street in downtown
PARKING DAY
LEARNING PARK(ing) Day only lasts for a few hours. But in those few hours, we gain a different perspective for that brief time to imagine and dream about the possibilities of changing the physical environment of a place. By removing cars and replacing them with other public activities we gained an understanding of how the city can cater to the pedestrian. People are hungry for public spaces, and PARK(ing) Day was an invaluable framework to provide and inspire similar action.
PARK(ing) day activities
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CONTINUING The installations disappeared just as quickly as they popped up, being a temporary demonstration of what can happen when a community “reclaims” their public space. As spaces were disassembled one-by-one, vehicles immediately returned to occupy the street. Despite the retreat to normalcy, creative ideas and community connections remained after the event. Paired with similar demonstrations taking root in Dallas, these events will lead to a long-term re-thinking of our community’s streets and how we activate our city’s public spaces.
Park(ing) day flyer
PARKING DAY
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PLANNING
MISSIONTo use public art to re-imagine the role infrastructure can play in our visual landscape.
Oncor Powerplant
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“
WE NEED THIS TYPE OF CREATIVITY! West Dallas Resident
POWER ART POWER ART was an ideas competition that took place from June to August of 2011. The Dallas CityDesign Studio, Office of Cultural Affairs, and Oncor partnered to re-imagine the external appearance of the Oncor power substation seated prominently at the western foot of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, which serves as a gateway to West Dallas.
to the public realm including the immediate area surrounding the substation. The competition generated ideas giving insight as to how the urban environment can co-exist with large infrastructure elements needed in modern city life. The ideas garnered will help develop solutions for the future development of this area.
The activities of the ideas competition focused on examining creative, economical designs enhancing the arrival experience into West Dallas while not compromising the sensitive engineering, safety and functional requirements of the electrical substation. West Dallas’ has been the focus of intentional urban design activity working to create a truly livable, sustainable, attractive and walkable community where future redevelopment efforts should include improvements
POWER ART
CONNECTING The Oncor power substation and surrounding power line disrupt the visual attractiveness of the landscape. Contrasting this infrastructure disruption is the essential requirement of consistent access to power for economic and social needs. As more people come to the area as a result of the opening of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, and the subsequent conversion of the Continental Bridge to a pedestrian bridge, a heightened awareness to the area including the substation has become prevalent. This shift in seeing this area brought an opportunity to engage artists with the adjacent community in a conversation about the opportunities for infrastructure beyond its’ utilitarian benefit and contribute meaningfully to placemaking.
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Tall Grass Vista, Scott R. Armstrong
A Bridging Place, Brandon W. Smith & Ramon Cavazos
POWER ART
LEARNING The POWER ART call for ideas engaged students and professionals in architecture, design, arts and other creative disciplines to re-imagine the visual appearance of public infrastructure. While the thought of having public infrastructure in a community, is not appealing for most residents, this infrastructure plays a critical role in our everyday lives powering our computers, ovens televisions and more. Ideas were submitted, neighborhood forums held and a juried process including community voting garnered a diverse group of finalists asked to advance their ideas further and share their work with the broader city through public presentations.
Urban Power Gauge, Michael Beene
72 - Planning
CONTINUING The strong ideas resulting from the competition have provided bold insight into the potential of what to do with an existing power substation and begun a conversation of how we design new substations as they are needed. The value of the competition has been a vital tool in the urban design work of city. As we move forward continuing to ask questions attempting to discover new directions addressing Dallas’ urban challenges we must dream. It is important to challenge all aspects of our urban environment striving for artistic excellence and quality performance. We must be curious working to discover potential but we must always ground the direction within community experience and citizen involvement.
Above: Speakers Corner, David Levitt & Smantha Sandall; Below: Unnamed, Mohammed Ahmed
Re-wind, William Roberts & Laura Santin
From these efforts, we have learned the benefits and challenges that come with idea forums. Moving forward, the Studio we continue to deploy this tool discovering the big ideas to shape Dallas.
POWER ART
MISSIONTo reclaim the area under the Ross Ave underpass as an inviting, safe place that connects both sides.
Ross Ave Bridge
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ROSS CONNECTION
“
In February of 2011, the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs and Dallas CityDesign Studio partnered on a communitybased project to engage artists to help improve public safety and provide a more welcoming connection through the Ross Avenue underpass located below Central Expressway. The purpose of the effort was to fund artist proposals on how to utilize $112,000 available from other sources for construction of the selected idea. The project engaged the surrounding community in the selection of artist work. Key project partners included: City of Dallas, Texas Department of Transportation, the Dallas Arts District, and the Bryan Place Neighborhood Association.
while serving as a place making tool for a key gateway into downtown. The project specifically aimed at encouraging a sense of safety for pedestrians and cyclists. A selection committee comprised of artists, local residents, and agency representatives selected three teams who best displayed the capacity and experience to undertake the effort. The committee awarded a stipend to each team for their conceptual ideas upon presenting their ideas within a public community forum. The three teams continued to develop their ideas and returned for a second community forum displaying concepts and discussing possibilities. The process gathered community responses selecting a winning entrant.
The artists developed ideas to create a more visually welcoming environment for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists
Ross Connection shaped the conversation and prepared the way to bring public art as the medium to alter this space.
WE SEE IT AS A BRIDGE, LITERALLY AND METAPHORICALLY, TO UNIFY THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND THE ARTS DISTRICT. Blessing Hancock, Artist
POWER ART
CONNECTING The Ross Ave Gateway serves as a key access point between the Arts District and the vibrant community of East Dallas. This particular underpass is longer and wider than most due to the highway configuration above. The result is a tunnel effect creating a void between two districts. The local community has devoted extensive time and resources to improving the space; however, with development occurring on both sides of the intersection, further thought was needed to provide an improved experience for a growing number of pedestrians and cyclists that pass through the area. The task was to think beyond the typical underpass and imagine new ways to unite two significant assets of our city, the Arts District and the East Dallas community, in a meaningful and memorable way. Ross Avenue Bridge
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POWER ART
LEARNING The exploration of improvements for this area were intended to ensure the project enhanced the public realm, created a visual gateway delineating an entrance into downtown, and most importantly ensure public safety for all modes of transportation traveling through the underpass. Engaging with the community in this dialogue served to inform artists, policy makers, and citizens about the transformative impact that thoughtful public art and urban design. These efforts better align the quality of experience of a place with its function as an important gateway.
Happy Shapes, Blessing Hancock & Joe O’Connell
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Chromatic Connection , Bill FitzGibbons
CONTINUING The finalists selected for the project were: Bill FitzGibbons of San Antonio, Koryn Rolstad of Seattle, and the winning team of Blessing Hancock and Joe O’Connell from Tuscon. The selected concept has been forwarded to the City of Dallas public arts commission. Upon review, the commission will establish a path forward developing a public workshop to refining the concept with the community’s involvement. Serving as a model for engaging the arts community with neighborhoods, Ross Connection has illustrated how the application of creative thinking can improve the quality of place.
Glow Mural & Light Stix, Koryn Rolstad
POWER ART
MISSIONTo maintain the character, complex history, and connections of the neighborhood. To engage the community in articulating a unified vision for future improvements and developments.
West Dallas Neighborhood
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“
IT IS THIS FORSAKEN NEIGHBORHOOD - MORE THAN CALATRAVA’S GLEAMING ARCH - THAT COULD REALISTICALLY BECOME THE SYMBOL OF TWENTY-FIRST-CENTURY DALLAS. Michael Ennis, Texas Monthly
WEST DALLAS In March 2012, the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge officially opened, improving connectivity across the Trinity River between West Dallas and downtown. Despite close proximity to downtown, historic lack of investment and disconnection from the rest of our city have created challenges for this area since it was first settled. West Dallas has been burdened by negative perceptions due to dozens of heavy industrial uses, vacant parcels, empty buildings, and limited commercial and retail activity. However, it is also home to a vibrant modest Mexican American residential community known as La Bajada. With the bridge’s completion, the area’s proximity to the Trinity River Corridor Project, and large-scale land acquisition by private development interests underway, it was clear that change to this area was inevitable. The City of Dallas saw
this as an opportunity to challenge traditional planning and development models, and work with the community to define a new way of redeveloping this part of our city. The resulting Urban Structure and Guidelines [the Structure] , adopted by city council on March 9, 2011, represents a shifting perspective, not only in the process and focus of the planning efforts, but also in the type of development envisioned. In the future, West Dallas will function not only as regional destination, but as a complete neighborhood with access to employment, recreation, and daily services. The primary objectives of the structure are: [1] Enhance and protect the La Bajada neighborhood, [2] Allow for incremental development, [3] Focus high density development along Herbert St. south of Singleton away from the sitting community.
WEST DALLAS
CONNECTING What might West Dallas look like fifty years into the future if the core objectives for the area are successfully followed? There are countless potential development responses that might achieve the same community objectives. The desired end result is a coherent, sustainable, and memorable environment supporting the collective needs and wants of residents, business owners, landowners, and other stakeholders of the area. The Structure anticipates development in this area to support a population of more than 24,000. The Structure includes approximately 16,000 units of mixedincome housing, and over two million (2,000,000) square feet of commercial or employment area. An additional 100 units of single- family in-fill housing West Dallas neighborhood
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can be added within the La Bajada community. The Structure also includes approximately 100 acres of new or renovated open space. Development of the type of community envisioned would serve to not only strengthen Dallas’ connection the Trinity River, but by bridging the physical, social, and economic divide across the river, this future serves to strengthen the city’s urban core as a whole.
City Planners and Designers work with residents and stakeholders in a dream session
WEST DALLAS
LEARNING The first step in any successful urban revitalization and redevelopment effort is the creation of a shared vision for how the area should change. This vision must be generated through a partnership between those most affected by change working with those attempting to make change. Work sessions were convened with the community, civic staff, non-profit organizations, and designers to listen to ideas and concerns while discussing options for the future. This process and resulting content of the Urban Structure represent a new way forward for development in Dallas creating a model for grassroots community involvement in planning and establishes urban design as the tool resolving urban development issues. Arturo del Castillo, Urban Designer, Dallas CityDesign Studio
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sylvan ave.
tal
en
ntin
CONTINUING
ge
brid
co
aret
marg
amonette st.
singleton blvd.
dge
l bri
t hil
hun
r.
ick st hardw
.
r. u. p.
.
rce st
mme
fo r
tw or
th
av e.
beckley ave.
bataa
n st.
w co
I-30
Proposed re-invisioning of the West Dallas neighborhood La Bajada Single Family Residential
Phase 3 [17 + Years]
Residential Tower
School
Duplex
Retail
Existing Building to Remain
2-3L Townhome/Masonette
Required Ground Floor Retail
Amenity Deck over Garage
2L Residential
Live/Work
Plaza/Courtyard
3L Residential
Hotel
Garage
4L Residential Podium
Office
Parking
5L Residential Podium
Civic Building
0’
Above: Community workshop, Below: Adoption of Urban Structure
Such an ambitious plan requires commitment and coordination by numerous individuals and agencies. Going forward, many groups, working at their own schedule and scale, will construct projects shaping this area’s landscape with the ultimate goal of achieving the shared vision as well as their private interests. This alternative to traditional local planning tools allows for organic revitalization and urbanization while offering a clear public vision for change in the area. The plan promotes the area as a testing ground for an alternative development process that can quickly and better respond to the current and future needs of West Dallas. These policy changes will also inform the redevelopment process in areas throughout the city as infill development becomes an increasing share of development activity in the future.
Park/Open Space
100’
200’
300’
400’
600’
1000’
citydesignstudio
WEST DALLAS
MISSIONTo maintain the character, complex history, and connections of the neighborhood. To engage the community in articulating a unified vision for future improvements and developments that connects the neighborhoods on both sides of the Trinity River.
Neighborhoods on the Trinity River
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“
THE TRINITY RIVER IS THE BIGGEST PROBLEM YOU HAVE IN DALLAS TODAY.
George Kessler, Author of the 1911 Dallas Comprehensive Plan
LINC DALLAS Leveraging and Improving Neighborhood Connections (LINC) Dallas is the continuation of the work started in West Dallas where urban planning is focused at working with neighborhood communities to preserve and shape future improvements and developments forward through a unified vision for the community. LINC Dallas is focused on realizing the potential of the surrounding communities directly adjacent to the Trinity River and in close proximity to downtown. Dallas is a city of 1.2 million people in the heart of a metropolitan region of 6 million. It is a highly auto-oriented city whose urban core evolved into little more than a business park as the downtown and retail population moved outward. After years of disinvestment and increasing disconnection from
the Trinity River, the city’s historic center, recent trends have begun to slowly reverse these conditions. Downtown is now home to a growing population of urban dwellers surrounded by a core of urban neighborhoods with a total population of 100,000. A large daytime population, growing retail and cultural attractions, and large scale investment in public parks are all contributing to a more vibrant 24-hour downtown. An important component of the growing investment in securing a more livable city is a nearly $2.2 billion investment in revitalizing the Trinity River Corridor as a recreational and environmental amenity. As we move foward, we must find a way to once again discover our connection with the Trinity River.
LINC DALLAS
CONNECTING Historically, the Trinity River flowed at the foot door of downtown, but the river was relocated to the west during the 1920s.  The space between was reclaimed from the floodplain for development and became largely commercial and industrial districts with a mix of flood control, and transportation infrastructure with no desirable pedestrian connectivity between downtown and the river. A number of modest and long standing neighborhoods have fought to exist in the area, but the effects of time and disinvestment have challenged their future and economic contribution to the city. As the river is transformed and various interests begin to look for opportunities to develop and take advantage of improvements to the Trinity River, a number of key Bird’s eye view of the highways and Trinity River separating Downtown Dallas from West Dallas
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challenges are presenting themselves. Among those will be strengthening the connection between downtown and the river, overcoming what seem to be insurmountable infrastructure obstacles, and engineering the ability to engage the river with development along the levee and levee top. As development interests continue to increase sitting neighborhoods continue to feel the pressure of change. Stewarding the interests of these culturally and physically valuable parts of our city is key along with new development to fully realize the Trinity River as our city’s center.
LINC DALLAS
LEARNING
Design District
Through a series of community focused workshops and charrettes, the studio has begun to help foster a number of strategies for positive change in the area. Among those are: [1] Identifying barriers, outlining conditions, and creating a strategy for overcoming and meeting the future potential afforded by adjacencies to the Trinity River, [2] creating a design program linking the Trinity River to neighboring communities, and [3] establishing a clear ecological strategy stewarding our natural world in parallel with the economic and social design for the area.
[Leverag
Boundar
Deep Ellum
The northe of downto the Trinity the propos undesirabl west of the it includes stores, and River snak uses.
Area A
West Dallas
Cedars
The weste of South D Historic Di the highes DART Stati Cedar Cree outcroppin
Area B
Current
594 ac
Oak Cliff Area C Area D
377 ac
Area E 241 ac
270 ac
Improvem ways are in is slated fo structure b Station wil at a faster cent Conti flex space levee sout mined poi reliever rou the inside end are als
Proximity t makes the number of tions that Park is und areas, trail Santa Fe Tr the Cedar
E Are a
D Are a
C Are a
B Are a
Are a
A
LINC Dallas study areas
Land Area Comparison
The study the east, IAvenue to rest to the the west.
Area Des
Downtown
209 ac
90 - Planning
LINC
Victory Park
Total A Total P Densit
CONTINUING The studio will continue to host a number of workshops with community members, stakeholders, design professionals, city staff, and the building community to glean information on challenges and opportunities in the area to inform a series of charrettes that will focus on ‘dreaming’ about the future of these areas. A collaborative community-based process will to set objectives and goals for the areas. Through a process of listening first and drawing second, a specific solution to improving each area will emerge. In the end, if we are successful, these individual and varied solutions will serve to benefit the city of Dallas as a whole and once again discover its connection to the Trinity River. Mary Suhm, City Manager, with city staff creative teams identifying opportunities and challenges for LINC Dallas
LINC DALLAS
THANK YOU