In sprawling Texas, walkability gains a toehold
A new park in Dallas that connects downtown to neighboring Uptown, bridging a freeway, is an example of how connectivity and placemaking are taking hold in a state known for sprawl. Reports The Texas Tribune:
Pockets of walkable, mixed-use development have existed in Texas for years, especially in and around the major downtowns. But an influx of young adults in the nation’s second-fastest-growing state from 2010 to 2013 has given walkability advocates more visibility.
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Austin and Fort Worth have also revitalized large portions of their downtowns and surrounding areas in recent years. And even El Paso, far from the major population centers, has broken ground on new downtown projects, aided by an innovative city planning department that offers courses on so-called New Urbanism to city officials, staff members and the private sector.
“People are seeing these projects on the ground now in communities and neighborhoods that have been reinvented as more walkable, and they like it,” said Scott Polikov, a North Texas-based town planner who serves on the national board of the Congress for the New Urbanism. “The tipping point has occurred where people actually are becoming aware of the benefits.”
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