This evening we met at campus and then walked over to the Trinity River Vision offices on West 7th Street in downtown Fort Worth. My overall impression of the Trinity corridor plans is that they will fundamentally remake the city of Fort Worth. Trinity Uptown itself would be enough to make a dramatic statement as well as changing the urban landscape of the city. But the plan is much more than that.
The beginnings of the project are similar to the background of the Dallas Trinity project. It begins with devastating floods, flood control methods that sealed off the river from the community, and a desire to reconnect the city with its principle natural resource. The massive levee system installed by the Corps of Engineers in the 20th century certainly protected Fort Worth from flooding, but also sealed off the river with a giant earthen wall. Fellow students pointed out that the North Texas area does not possess a surplus of natural amenities or striking landscapes. And people really like to connect with their environment, even if only in a scenic, sanitized way. People especially like water and interacting with water. It is therefore natural for Fort Worth to explore how to capitalize on its primary natural asset: the Trinity River.
Trinity Uptown has gotten most of the press and the accolades, but the Trinity River Vision is much more expansive than just Trinity Uptown. The Gateway Park plan is as ambitious as Trinity Uptown, and ought to provide a real benefit for residents of surrounding communities, ans well as opportunities for development and redevelopment around the park.Urban park planners always like to compare their plans with the size of Central Park in New York. While Fort Worth doesn’t possess Vaux and Olmstead, in Gateway Park, it does possess a footprint bigger than their Manhattan oasis.
Similarly, there are many smaller projects along the Trinity and its watershed throughout the City that will have large impacts on the quality of life and the value of many neighborhoods. There will be 27 miles of new trails, as well as rowing courses, ballfields, splash fountains, and other amenities that will get people out of their homes and connected with the river and their community. To me, the best part of the plan is how well integrated it is into the overall plan of the city. I also appreciate that there is an emphasis on residential, including an affordable housing component. It would be all too easy to price the working class entirely out of this kind of transformational development.
In comparison with the Dallas vision, Fort Worth seems to have much more organization, integration into the fabric of and overall plan for the city, and more momentum. There is a 12 year plan for finishing all the flood control and other infrastructure, and development of Trinity Uptown can begin as soon as financing loosens up. Local, state, and national interests seem much more aligned and on board with the Fort Worth plan than with Dallas. I would expect more built results from Fort Worth than from Dallas.
After the presentation, the class took a walking tour of downtown Fort Worth, including Sundance Square and the Radio Shack/TCC complex. The downtown residential development was particularly interesting in that it fit seamlessly with the overall built environment of a historic downtown.
The tour of the Radio Shack/TCC campus allowed the class to view the loop of the Trinity that will be redeveloped into Trinity Uptown. It also allowed us to experience the TCC campus. It is corporate monolithic architecture at its finest. Despite the green touches, the massive entry atrium is clearly designed to provoke awe and trembling in the visitor approaching the front desk. Not quite Mussolin's office at the Palazzo Venezia, but the same basic principle. Despite the intimidation factor, I think TCC has the finest junior college campus around.
The beginnings of the project are similar to the background of the Dallas Trinity project. It begins with devastating floods, flood control methods that sealed off the river from the community, and a desire to reconnect the city with its principle natural resource. The massive levee system installed by the Corps of Engineers in the 20th century certainly protected Fort Worth from flooding, but also sealed off the river with a giant earthen wall. Fellow students pointed out that the North Texas area does not possess a surplus of natural amenities or striking landscapes. And people really like to connect with their environment, even if only in a scenic, sanitized way. People especially like water and interacting with water. It is therefore natural for Fort Worth to explore how to capitalize on its primary natural asset: the Trinity River.
Trinity Uptown has gotten most of the press and the accolades, but the Trinity River Vision is much more expansive than just Trinity Uptown. The Gateway Park plan is as ambitious as Trinity Uptown, and ought to provide a real benefit for residents of surrounding communities, ans well as opportunities for development and redevelopment around the park.Urban park planners always like to compare their plans with the size of Central Park in New York. While Fort Worth doesn’t possess Vaux and Olmstead, in Gateway Park, it does possess a footprint bigger than their Manhattan oasis.
Similarly, there are many smaller projects along the Trinity and its watershed throughout the City that will have large impacts on the quality of life and the value of many neighborhoods. There will be 27 miles of new trails, as well as rowing courses, ballfields, splash fountains, and other amenities that will get people out of their homes and connected with the river and their community. To me, the best part of the plan is how well integrated it is into the overall plan of the city. I also appreciate that there is an emphasis on residential, including an affordable housing component. It would be all too easy to price the working class entirely out of this kind of transformational development.
In comparison with the Dallas vision, Fort Worth seems to have much more organization, integration into the fabric of and overall plan for the city, and more momentum. There is a 12 year plan for finishing all the flood control and other infrastructure, and development of Trinity Uptown can begin as soon as financing loosens up. Local, state, and national interests seem much more aligned and on board with the Fort Worth plan than with Dallas. I would expect more built results from Fort Worth than from Dallas.
After the presentation, the class took a walking tour of downtown Fort Worth, including Sundance Square and the Radio Shack/TCC complex. The downtown residential development was particularly interesting in that it fit seamlessly with the overall built environment of a historic downtown.
The tour of the Radio Shack/TCC campus allowed the class to view the loop of the Trinity that will be redeveloped into Trinity Uptown. It also allowed us to experience the TCC campus. It is corporate monolithic architecture at its finest. Despite the green touches, the massive entry atrium is clearly designed to provoke awe and trembling in the visitor approaching the front desk. Not quite Mussolin's office at the Palazzo Venezia, but the same basic principle. Despite the intimidation factor, I think TCC has the finest junior college campus around.
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