Dallas suburbs are turning their downtowns into small towns

Four Texas towns are embracing walkability and density in their downtowns.

1 minute read

October 27, 2026, 5:00 AM PDT

By Zachary Whalen


A crowd of people cut the ribbon on Fresco's new downtown.

Frisco unveiled its new downtown earlier this month. | City of Frisco TX - City Hall

Dallas suburbs are exploding in population — as they grow, their leaders are making their downtowns feel like small towns. Frisco, Celina, Anna and Allen are working to make their downtowns dense and walkable, while still providing ample space for cars and preserving the original charm of their communities.

“For all four cities, redeveloping downtown is a study in contradictions — creating walkability while providing ample parking in a car-centric region, embracing gentle density where strip malls and sprawl are the norm and preserving history as cities race to meet the future,” Angela Mathew writes for The Dallas Morning News.

Frisco unveiled its new downtown earlier this month. The city widened sidewalks, built a five-story parking garage and created a rail-themed community gathering space, complete with an overhead structure resembling railroad tracks that provides shade to visitors.

Sunday, October 25, 2026 in The Dallas Morning News

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Dallas suburbs are turning their downtowns into small towns

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