Dallas Launches New Comprehensive Plan Process—15 Years After ForwardDallas

The Dallas Morning News editorial board published an editorial commemorating the 15th anniversary of the city's ForwardDallas plan and looking forward to the next comprehensive planning process, now underway in the city.

According to the editorial, ForwardDallas "conjured images of a more densely populated and more walkable city, with better transit weaving through its neighborhoods and lively city blocks combining homes, offices and businesses."

But now, 15 years after the plan was adopted, the editorial board says the city has made little progress toward those lofty ambitions—despite the consistent desire among many residents for the kind of city envisioned in the plan.

The editorial lacks specifics about how and why ForwardDallas failed to live up to its ambition—mostly because it's already looking forward. The city recently launched the process for the next citywide comprehensive plan, which is expected to unfold over the next two years.

So far, the Editorial Board expresses optimism that the plan will be in good hands with the city's residents and planners.

"It’s a herculean job that involves weighing different and sometimes conflicting perspectives in a city of 1.3 million residents, and we think city staff mostly hit the right notes at a recent 'neighborhood summit' that kicked off the planning process. More than 100 participants logged into the meeting, including many neighborhood leaders and advocates."