Dallas' CityMAP Project Looks to Reimagine Downtown Connectivity

Brandon Formby reports in The Dallas Morning News on a new program lead by the Texas Department of Transportation in partnership with local planners and civic leaders. The goal of the new program called CityMAP is to produce a menu of option for how the city can begin to rebuild, tweak, or replace existing freeways surrounding downtown Dallas to overcome the freeway as a physical barrier that has separated the downtown core from surrounding neighborhoods. An existing example for innovative thinking is the city's Klyde Warren Park, built on a deck over a portion of the Woodall Rodgers Freeway, and opened in 2012. The park has become a popular spot for families and recreationists. However, future transit improvements, including the construction of a high-speed rail station and expansion of the rapid transit system through downtown, have also spurred new thinking for increasing connectivity throughout the city.

"The goal isn’t just to create more deck parks, though more could be in store. There are deeper hopes that updating major infrastructure in the urban core will restitch neighborhoods, spur developments with a dense mix of residences and job centers and give thousands of people the option to ditch their cars altogether."

Three meetings will be held in October and November to get public input on new ideas and potential solutions to create a more integrated downtown core, with the recognition that beyond just a destination, downtown has grown into a thriving live-work community.