Outside of cities, most people are not exposed to the same level of diversity-in both thought and personal characteristics-as they are within them. According to Urbanists, this mingling of diverse people is vital to fostering tolerance and acceptance in the broader society.

With Love,
Wikipedia

DOWNTOWN DALLAS, INC.

Dallas has survived by riding the highs of its resources. The old cattle trail opened our eyes to the world. The railroad systems in the late 1800s converged in our own West End, helping us to crawl. The immense production of cotton in the early 1900s taught us to stand. And the oil boom in the 1930s got us walking with our heads held high. Now we are home to big name bankers and a huge telecommunications network, which has preserved our pride; not to mention helped keep some of the money inside the loop. All the while, we have built up our city, section by section, to create a skyline built by renowned local and international architects. So why aren’t we the Chicago of the south? Where’s our answer? It seems as if we have found ourselves upstream without a paddle. But with Texas-sized ambition, Dallas remains resilient against letting go.

Downtown Dallas 360 is the initiative to finally transcend Dallas into what every property owner envisions. The latest presentation, referenced earlier this week, shows the artful redesign of the city center and the *gasp* demolition of Reunion Arena to make way for… more business. Oh, and they even have a plan for those disastrous tunnels.

With recent developments by name brand architects to the Arts District, a possible facelift to the cavernous Bank of America Plaza, and the Statler finally getting the breath of fresh air it needed – we should be a city booming with pride and beating our chests for the world to see. Our area is home to sports championships in every arena and the DART rail can take you from Plano to Mesquite. If you make a change at Union Station, the TRE will take you to Fort Worth in just under an hour. Everything is bigger in Texas and Dallas is finally ready to wear the south’s 10 gallon hat.

Yet downtown still remains relatively vacant.

Dammit Kevin Costner, we’ve built it, but he hasn't come. We can arm ourselves with a great plan and spend the entire bankroll on new additions and recreation, but the people have to use it. Downtown Dallas provides you with reliable, cheap transportation. You can catch the morning train downtown for work, head off to happy hour or dinner at a reasonably priced restaurant, and enjoy a play, opera, or concert at a number of notable venues. Get dressed up in Victory or hang loose in Deep Ellum. At the culmination of your eclectic night, you can DART it back to suburbia (it runs until 1230 or 100 o’clock at night!) Is that too early for you? Your mom always told you nothing good happens after midnight anyways.

Dallas has given it’s city dwellers everything they can dream up, but the negative comments still show up in the media regarding packed DART lines, troubles of parking, and the lack of things to do. The Metroplex has a sprawl mentality but I feel that the DART has embraced it. You can live in Carrollton and still go to the Dallas Zoo without packing the minivan to take your 3 kids through 3 major highways to Oak Cliff.

Dallas is trying! But you have to try back. Come down to the city and try it out for the evening. You can contact me personally and I’ll plan you and your friends a fun evening, as long as you’re willing to pay the $4 for a round trip DART pass and walk a little.

SO, WHY DO YOU SPEND TIME DOWNTOWN OR WHY DO YOU AVOID IT? WE WANT TO HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS.