Dallas Under the Wrecking Ball

Doctor Pepper Headquarters Being Demolished

I've lived in Texas most of my life, Dallas for the last 22 years. Though I'm not an architect or any type of urban planner, I know what appeals to my eye and to my sense of aesthetics. We can think of settings that are pretty and enticing - SMU campus, White Rock Lake; we can think of places that offer nightlife and excitement - Deep Ellum, Lower Greenville, West Village, and Mockingbird Station. But alas, we can think of many more places that are largely asphalt, commercial wastelands - Harry Hines Blvd, East NW Highway, broad sections of our suburbs that give you shoddy apartments, lookalike shopping strips, and industrial parks. I've had the fortune of traveling to large cities in Canada, Australia and Europe and I've seen how other countries develop and nurture their urban environments. Of note - all cities seem to have their trashy areas, their "back yards" that tourists shouldn't see. The problem is a matter of proportion, how much of your city is a presentable front yard, and what portion is an ugly back yard. Dallas is mostly back yard, and that’s something that must be fixed. I have a 3-prong approach to making this city a place of beauty, a place you want to stay and see:

1) Enforce strict zoning, and encourage urban planning
2) Respect and restore older buildings – they’re our history
3) Encourage mass transit

ENCOURAGE URBAN PLANNING

When I stand at Jupiter & NW Highway, my eyes hurt. Yes, there is a new Lowes and a fairly new Whataburger, but on the whole I see a string of bland, ugly commercial buildings (Massey Cadillac has been vacant for months) and these ugly buildings are separated by oceans of ugly, weed infested asphalt. I’d have to travel 2 miles in any direction to see something pretty, and would have to do that by car, because the area is car-centric. Urban planning would give you: architectural / landscape standards, amenities like libraries, and multi-use areas where it’s possible to live and play in comfort – frequently on foot. Urban planning is not anti-capitalist. Some of the most expertly designed projects of recent vintage (e.g. West Village) are the work of private investors, not the government.


Fair Park

RESPECT OLDER BUILDINGS

Recent Dallas landmarks to meet the wrecking ball are: the art deco Dr. Pepper Headquarters on Mockingbird, the Dallas Cotton Exchange downtown, and a historic Fishburn’s Cleaners building. Buildings still standing that Dallasites should take care to preserve are: Fair Park buildings, Casa Linda Theater, the Texas School Book Depository, Santa Fe Terminal, Adolphus Hotel and Mercantile Bank. An older building tells part of our collective story, and it’s not replaceable. In Europe, older buildings are seen as treasures, and meticulously maintained. If only Dallas could acquire that level of appreciation. A Walgreens or a Krogers will give a short-term business lift on the site where something historic has been razed, but the cost to the city’s heritage is incalculable.

ENCOURAGE MASS TRANSIT

I’m still somewhat shocked, but greatly pleased that Dallas, the home of John Birch and all that is free enterprise, was one of the first cities in the Southwest to develop a light rail system – DART. Light rail, after all, is vaguely socialistic. In European cities, mass transit is a given and it creates so many wonderful opportunities. It boosts tourism, it saves gasoline, it facilitates cities designed for people and not for cars. A visitor doesn’t have to rent a car or take a taxi. In a city with good walking districts, you can cover enormous ground, see all the sights and never step inside a car. Walking districts take on a life of their own – you have street vendors, artists, fairs, open air markets and what not. You might just want to buy a hot dog, sit on a bench and people watch. But that’s Boston, New York, Toronto and Amsterdam – not yet the Big D.

IN CONCLUSION…

Some people say that Dallas’ 113 degree afternoons in July would discourage my dream vision. Nonsense. Houston, Fort Worth and Atlanta are as hot as Dallas and have seen the way to vibrant downtowns. The hot weather is an excuse, not a reason. As you look at new developments in Frisco, McKinney and Allen, you might ask yourself -- will these sparkling new retail centers come to resemble East NW Highway in 20 years? Are these properties seen as permanent enhancements or temporary business opportunities? Time will tell; Dallas is certainly not the only city grappling with these issues. But let‘s hope that Dallas successfully answers the questions. With urban planning, historic preservation and mass transit, Dallas can become a pleasurable destination in and of itself, not just a DFW layover.