Klyde Warren Park - Dallas, TX

Klyde Warren Park in Dallas, Texas is the outstanding result of rather visionary thinking in regards to the incredible importance of open space. In this example, the city of Dallas has reclaimed a rather large hole in the heart of its downtown area by implementing a thoroughly modern public plaza that has quickly become a popular gathering spot in an area that did not previously exist for such a purpose. Opened in October 2012, the park is a very new but valuable addition to America's public space arsenal. It completely re-imagines urban land use by placing  a priority on the pedestrian and public space over the utilitarian and unfriendly landscape of the mid 20th-century style highway that cut right through the heart of downtown Dallas. By building the park above the highway, the plaza reintroduces this land to the non-automobile user while peacefully coexisiting with the highway that is located directly beneath it but completely and safely separated from it.

Large interstates and highways have had incredible impacts on both the landscape of the built environment but also the character of urban neighborhoods, especially those long established before the introduction of the road. Often, highways have the unfortunate effect of completely isolating parts of the same neighborhood or city from one another by implementing an almost complete lack of access between sides. Even if access is possible, it is often challenging and hostile, especially if one does not have automobile transport at their disposal. Dallas, a city often defined by unimaginable amounts of sprawl and low-density development, has realized the advantages of reconnecting areas that were once fragmented by the development of large highways. As a result of Klyde Warren Park being implemented, there is now a seamless pedestrian and public connection between Uptown and Downtown, two of the most vital neighborhoods in the urban core of Dallas. It creates a canopy over a section of the Woodall Rogers Freeway and provides connectivity to and from the rapidly rising and thriving Arts District, adjacent to downtown Dallas.

The park, which is less than a year old, is the result of a public-private partnership that is often so essential in turning fantastic ideas into reality. The city of Dallas provided $20 million in bond funds, while an additional $20 million came from state and federal highway funds. Meanwhile, private donations totaling upwards of $50 million completed the funding for the project,which was also aided by federal stimulus funding. The park is modern in design and character, but also completely comfortable and usable for casual recreation and relaxation. It includes jogging trails, a playground, a dog park, game areas, fountains, a performance stage, numerous chairs a la Bryant Park or Times Square in New York, as well as a restaurant. The park is aiming to become a new focal point for the urban core of Dallas, and early returns and reviews have been more than encouraging. It also should become a model for other cities to follow. Landscape that has been negatively altered by antiquated highway design is not lost forever. Klyde Warren Park is an example of something positive that can be achieved to help remedy at least some of the issues brought on by the age of of automobile and highway supremacy.