5 Frustrating Things about the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts

The Dallas Center for the Performing Arts achieves an impressive collection of architectural icons but fails to tie them together with inviting outdoor spaces for the public, says Jared Langevin.

1 minute read

July 20, 2010, 1:00 PM PDT

By Tim Halbur


Langevin checks out the outdoor spaces at the AT&T Center for the Performing Arts, which opened in Dallas in October. One of his criticisms was the decision to run a series of auto-oriented streets right through the new public spaces:

"If a large part of the initial intent behind the Center was to create dynamic new outdoor urban spaces for Dallas, this goal was nullified the second that it was decided to allow car traffic into the heart of this site. Yes, the planners have attempted to soften the roads by varying material colors and textures, but this has done little to disguise the reality that these surfaces are rough, hot, and ultimately designed for cars instead of humans. Worse yet, the roads required that awkward metal barriers be installed along the boundaries of each individual building site, ensuring that each respective building would be further separated from the others by distinct visual edges."

Thanks to Jared Langevin

Thursday, July 8, 2010 in jargon

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I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

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