Alan G. Brake looks at the ambitions of Dallas's newly opened Klyde Warren Park. Built atop a trenched highway, the park "attempts to merge sophisticated contemporary design with walkable urbanism" while uniting two downtown neighborhoods.
How far can a new five-acre park go towards reorienting Dallas's car-centered culture towards a more walkable, seamless, urban environment? Such is the question asked by Brake in his review of the newly opened highway-cap park, which was designed by the Office of James Burnett, a Houston-based landscape architecture firm.
"[B]ordered on one side by the Downtown Dallas Arts District—which includes buildings by Edward Larabee Barnes, Renzo Piano, Foster + Partners, OMA, SOM, I.M. Pei, and Allied Works—and on the other by the tony Uptown neighborhood," the park attempts to correct "dated urban renewal-era thinking" by weaving together the neighborhoods "that have long been divided by the trenched Woodall Rogers highway."
"Built on decking that spans the eight-lane highway, Klyde Warren Park packs numerous amenities into its three-block length, including a large performance stage, a children’s play area, croquet and putting greens, a restaurant designed by New York architects Thomas Phifer and Partners (currently under construction), table tennis, and plenty of movable tables and chairs. Curved paths lead visitors through allées of trees, but keep most of the park open for civic gatherings," notes Brake.
"Will Klyde Warren Park be the beginning of a better-planned, more pedestrian-friendly central Dallas? Or will it prove to be just the latest bauble in Dallas’ collection, a Lone Star version of Chicago’s Millenium Park without that city’s density?"
New nearby residential development and the potential reorientation of neighboring museums are positive signs that Dallas may be on the verge of "a dynamic and connected central city that can make its trophies shine."
FULL STORY: Crit> Klyde Warren Park

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

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

Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series
The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.

Driving Equity and Clean Air: California Invests in Greener School Transportation
California has awarded $500 million to fund 1,000 zero-emission school buses and chargers for educational agencies as part of its effort to reduce pollution, improve student health, and accelerate the transition to clean transportation.

Congress Moves to End Reconnecting Communities and Related Grants
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee moved to rescind funding for the Neighborhood Equity and Access program, which funds highway removals, freeway caps, transit projects, pedestrian infrastructure, and more.

From Throughway to Public Space: Taking Back the American Street
How the Covid-19 pandemic taught us new ways to reclaim city streets from cars.
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.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Ada County Highway District
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service