Planning Efforts Taking Off in Downtown Dallas

Robert Wilonsky provides in-depth coverage of the ongoing changes in the Dallas Arts District, which received a big boost in May when Arts District leadership released a request for qualifications for an update to the seminal Sasaki Plan of 1983.

Submissions were due earlier this week, with an impressive list responding to the possibility of leading the effort, reports Wilonsky.

"The list is impressive and includes OMA (founded by Rem Koolhaas, one of the designers of the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre); Copenhagen-and-NYC-based Bjarke Ingels Group (which is doing Manhattan’s Two World Trade Center); SHoP Architects and, separately, Stoss Landscape Urbanism (which teamed up as the putative winners of the Connected Cities design challenge) and Manhattan-based H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture."

Wilonsky also notes that Sasaki Associates responded to the RFQ, "this time, in collaboration with Fregonese Associates, responsible for the ForwardDallas! development plan." July 13 is the expected date for the selection of a planning firm for the project.

Dallas Art District Executive Director Catherin Culler is quoted in the article explaining the need to move forward with the plan quickly: "We are under immense pressure to timely adopt this community development plan because of the parallel activities of Downtown Dallas Inc…and DART’s D2 alignment meetings, among other things." Wilonsky adds that Downtown Dallas Inc launched a 360 Plan update this same week.