How Planners Can Help the Dallas Food Scene Flourish

Dallas is amidst a process for electing a new City Council, and one local writer sees the transition as an opportunity to present an ambitious agenda for also overhauling the city's local dining scene.

1 minute read

May 12, 2021, 7:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Klyde Warren Park

Food trucks line up outside Kyde Warren Park in downtown Dallas in March 2018. | stock_photo_world / Shutterstock

Brian Reinhart proposes a bold policy agenda for the incoming members of the Dallas City Council—one focused on improving the city's culinary scene. Reinhart's proposals include numerous intersections with the purview of the Dallas Planning and Urban Design Department.

But first, the political context. As Reinhart explains, "Dallas is halfway through electing a new slate of city council members. Most of the seats were decided in the May 1 general election, with six to be decided by runoffs on June 5."

Before laying out a culinary agenda, Reinhart suggests naming the proposed legislative package the Enabling New Culinary and Hospitality Innovation and Leadership Across Dallas Act (ENCHILADA). The list reads as follows, with more details in the source article:

  • Fix the permitting process
  • Eliminate minimum parking requirements
  • Open up the food truck universe
  • Put "scores on the doors"
  • Put a cap on the fees charged by delivery apps
  • Do literally anything to reduce Dallas's physical segregation
  • Make decisions based on real knowledge and data.

By my unofficial count, planners have a role in all but two of those proposals. And it's surpassingly notable that the parking reform movement has gained traction in this famously car-centric city not just for the connection between parking and increased housing costs, but also because parking requirements create obstacles to the creation of new small businesses.

Monday, May 10, 2021 in Dallas Observer

portrait of professional woman

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

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 2, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Map of Haussmann's redesign of Paris in the 1850s through 1870s under Napoleon III.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking

Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

June 30, 2025 - Tom Sanchez

Street with parking protected bike lane and parked cars in downtown Portland, Oregon.

Portland Raises Parking Fees to Pay for Street Maintenance

The city is struggling to bridge a massive budget gap at the Bureau of Transportation, which largely depleted its reserves during the Civd-19 pandemic.

July 8 - Willamette Week

Aerial view of Spokane, Washington with river in foreground.

Spokane Mayor Introduces Housing Reforms Package

Mayor Lisa Brown’s proposals include deferring or waiving some development fees to encourage more affordable housing development.

July 8 - The Spokesman-Review

Close-up on black and white "Bike Lane Ends" sign with bike logo.

Houston Mayor Kills Another Bike Lane

The mayor rejected a proposed bike lane in the Montrose district in keeping with his pledge to maintain car lanes.

July 8 - Houston Public Media

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

Associate/Senior Planner

Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development

Senior Planner

Heyer Gruel & Associates PA