Design District Master Plan

Dallas, Texas

The 1950’s vintage Old Trinity Industrial District, located virtually in the shadow of the Downtown Dallas skyline, has begun a slow transition first from industrial uses to furniture and design showrooms, and finally to a true mixed use neighborhood. A consortium of major property owners in the District engaged our firm to provide assistance in creating a tax increment finance district sponsored by the City of Dallas to fund streetscape improvements, gateway monumentation, environmental remediation and utility upgrades. Toward that end, our master plan proposed a new hierarchy of street types, converting lanes of traffic and truck maneuvering space into pedestrian-oriented space. Two new civic plazas were proposed. One in the core of the District to serve as the neighborhood gathering space, and one at the end of Oak Lawn to serve as a gateway to the Trinity River Park. This project received a 2008 Dream/Study Urban Design Award from the Greater Dallas Planning Council.