Dallas Blog

Those interested in the future of downtown Dallas may wanna carve out some time on Friday -- like, all day Friday. Because from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., City Hall will play host to a daylong "design charrette" during which city officials; architect Brent Brown, founder of bcWORKSHOP; and folks from San Francisco-based Urban Re:Vision will hash out how to turn a single block of downtown into "the first fully sustainable, urban square block in the United States." Seems a mighty tall order, and it is -- hence, the occasion of a competition that kicks off next month, with details to follow. Though, there is this sneak peek at the participants: Urban Re:Vision "will invite architects and planners from around the world to translate the needs of the Dallas Community into structural designs for the future city block." Forward, Dallas. --Robert Wilonsky

Update: Just spoke with Ian Bryan of Re:Vision, who says he can't reveal the specific block that will be discussed Friday -- but he does say "it's very central" and currently under contract. Mayor Tom Leppert will announce the location at the beginning of the charrette. Also, as a Friend of Unfair Park notes in the comments, this will not be a public event, but one attended by the folks named above and "community design and urban planning experts from across the nation." But we're going. Live blog? OK then.