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Richard Morgan, AIA
HLM Design, Dallas
AIA Dallas has been widely praised for its
central role in the largest public works project in Dallas’s
history—the redevelopment of its Trinity River Corridor.
Like many American cities, Dallas had traditionally turned its
back to its river corridor. Residents regarded the river as a
smelly, muddy, dangerous place to be avoided. But when floods
brought artists and photographers to its levees to capture the
skyline’s watery reflections, the river spawned dreams of a
beautiful downtown waterfront. Those images, along with promises of
parks, lakes, environmental restoration, economic development,
flood protection, and relief from traffic congestion, helped to
pass a local bond initiative and secure commitments for major state
and federal funding.
As more detailed plans for the project were developed, many
community members thought the plans emphasized flood control and
highway development to the detriment of recreational and
environmental uses. Members of AIA Dallas were similarly divided on
the merits of the redevelopment plans. The component’s
Government Affairs committee decided to take action. They formed an
unbiased, blue-ribbon advisory panel of AIA members and subjected
them to three days of expert presentations on all aspects of the
Trinity Corridor Plan. The panel produced a critique of the project
that served as the component’s position. It recommended that
an eminent urban design team be commissioned to create a
“grand urban vision” for the Trinity Corridor that would
guide decisions about its redevelopment. AIA Dallas’s position
was aired publicly in a well-attended symposium organized by the
component.
A newly elected mayor took note of the AIA’s position and
asked the component and two other civic organizations to form a
three-person leadership team to raise private funds and commission
an urban-design review of the proposed plans. This
“triumvirate” soon raised more than a half-million
dollars, conducted a selection process, and commissioned an
urban-design study that sought to create a long-term vision for the
corridor.
The results of the process and the study were spectacular. The new
plan not only improved the project but also unified a divided
community. Like its predecessor, the new, balanced vision plan is a
huge, complex project requiring more than $1.7 billion in public
funds and involving a long list of local, state, and federal
agencies.
The Trinity River Corridor Project has been as emotionally and
politically charged as any issue in local memory. Many people
credit AIA Dallas with saving a critically important project that
was threatened by widespread community opposition. The dedication
of a six-member committee of politically naïve, volunteer
architects played a major role in reshaping the project and making
Dallas a more livable community. Not only will the community
benefit, but AIA Dallas is being asked to provide advice and
assistance on a broad range of urban design issues. Success is
sweet!
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