Klyde Warren Park Dallas

[iamjacobm]

I spent the week in Dallas and this park was easily my favorite part of the trip. It is a new $110 million park built over a recessed highway in Dallas' Arts District very near their CBD(which is meh at street level) and Uptown(which is fantastic at street level). It had a dog park, kid's playground, food trucks, green space, ping pong tables, light movable chairs and tables, a full service restaurant and the park was packed the day I went. Dallas isn't exactly the model of urbanity, but this park is really well done. A model of what could be done over recessed highways like 480 if we had a cool $100 million to burn.

[Seth]

Thanks for sharing. That is really awesome, and I completely agree with your suggestion of 480. I live two blocks west of 480 and it's clear that it didn't just wipe out a whole block width, but the two blocks on either side, because no one wants to live next to an interstate in a trench. I'd love to see what the neighborhoods between Dodge and Vinton were like before the interstate.

I agree, it would be insanely expensive here in Omaha, but it's a cool idea nonetheless. Some precast concrete sound walls along the residential parts of 480 with some foliage would be relatively inexpensive and awesome, though.

[TitosBuritoBarn]

I wonder if NDOR would go for a project like this. On the one hand, their planning department seems to still maintain highway planning ideals from the '60s and this project would provide a little too much neighborhood cohesion to jive with those. On the other hand, there would be a lot of concrete involved with a freeway topper and it doesn't seem there is much more that they live for other than to please the Nebraska concrete industry.

[iamjacobm]

Speaking of all the concrete this park creates a tunnel with a bit of wind. There are turbines underneath to power the lighting and such in the park above.