On October 30, the Deep Ellum Outdoor Market will be presenting the Better Block Project in the 2700 block of Elm St.
For one day, Elm Street will be taken over by pedestrian walkways,
a bike lane and expanded patio areas while sharing the roadway with motorists.
The Better Block Project strives to improve the way we use our streets.
It started as a community activist initiative that originated in Oak Cliff as an attempt to convey the street as more than a means to get from point A to point B. Instead of seeing the street solely as a means of transportation, the project aims to portray the street as a destination in of itself.
The non-profit organization Project for Public Spaces (www.pps.org) explains how and why 'streets as places' is an important movement:
We see Deep Ellum as the perfect location to portray such a message because of its proximity to Downtown Dallas, its accessibility by multiple forms of transportation, and its character as Dallas' historically edgy and creative center. Utilizing the neighborhood's positive attributes, as well as cutting edge urban design, the Better Block Project of Deep Ellum will make a strong impression of the potential benefits of reformatting how we treat our streets.
Please download this PDF to see exactly how we plan to do this.
It started as a community activist initiative that originated in Oak Cliff as an attempt to convey the street as more than a means to get from point A to point B. Instead of seeing the street solely as a means of transportation, the project aims to portray the street as a destination in of itself.
The non-profit organization Project for Public Spaces (www.pps.org) explains how and why 'streets as places' is an important movement:
"A fundamental shift is occurring in the way that streets are planned and designed. This shift has been inspired by the ever-expanding realization that how we have planned transportation and our communities over the last 50 years have not only had detrimental community impacts, it has also failed to improve mobility and access to destinations.
To date, transportation engineering, design and planning in the United States has focused mainly on the efficient and safe movement of vehicles. While these are serious concerns, this single-minded focus has had crippling social, community, and environmental impacts, without adequately addressing congestion and cost. Car-centric planning has encouraged sprawling development and adverse human health conditions such as asthma and obesity. By failing to take into consideration the character of communities or the needs of an entire spectrum of users (including bicyclists, pedestrians, and neighbors such as residents and local businesses) this capital-intensive approach has missed the opportunity to use transportation design to shape communities, not just connect them.
A transformation towards more context sensitive means of travel will empower citizens, design practitioners, transportation planners and government officials to use transportation projects to promote and enable civic engagement, health, environmental sustainability, and economic vitality. It will ensure that we maximize our return on the billions of public dollars we invest annually in our transportation system."
To date, transportation engineering, design and planning in the United States has focused mainly on the efficient and safe movement of vehicles. While these are serious concerns, this single-minded focus has had crippling social, community, and environmental impacts, without adequately addressing congestion and cost. Car-centric planning has encouraged sprawling development and adverse human health conditions such as asthma and obesity. By failing to take into consideration the character of communities or the needs of an entire spectrum of users (including bicyclists, pedestrians, and neighbors such as residents and local businesses) this capital-intensive approach has missed the opportunity to use transportation design to shape communities, not just connect them.
A transformation towards more context sensitive means of travel will empower citizens, design practitioners, transportation planners and government officials to use transportation projects to promote and enable civic engagement, health, environmental sustainability, and economic vitality. It will ensure that we maximize our return on the billions of public dollars we invest annually in our transportation system."
We see Deep Ellum as the perfect location to portray such a message because of its proximity to Downtown Dallas, its accessibility by multiple forms of transportation, and its character as Dallas' historically edgy and creative center. Utilizing the neighborhood's positive attributes, as well as cutting edge urban design, the Better Block Project of Deep Ellum will make a strong impression of the potential benefits of reformatting how we treat our streets.
Please download this PDF to see exactly how we plan to do this.
more information about Better Block events here:
How To Build A Better Block
Recap of The Oak Cliff Better Block Event
Ft Worth Better Block Event
How To Build A Better Block
Recap of The Oak Cliff Better Block Event
Ft Worth Better Block Event
Deep Ellum Outdoor Market is on Facebook. Become a Fan!
