DALLAS—Public parks strengthen communities and benefit resident health, the environment, quality of life, demand for surrounding properties and the economy. Klyde Warren Park, located at 2012 Woodall Rodgers Freeway between Pearl and St. Paul streets, created green space out of thin air, connecting the Uptown neighborhood with the Dallas Arts District and downtown.
When it comes to downtown turnaround, there is widespread praise for turning an eyesore freeway into a green space built atop it. Its transformation effectively erased the barrier between downtown and the Uptown district's multifamily, retail and office markets.
The concept of building a deck park over the freeway may have originated in the 1960s when Dallas mayor J. Erik Jonsson decided to recess the freeway. Many years later in 2002, the idea resurfaced in the real estate community and John Zogg began to rally support for the project, says ULI.
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Lisa Brown
Lisa Brown is an editor for the south and west regions of GlobeSt.com. She has 25-plus years of real estate experience, with a regional PR role at Grubb & Ellis and a national communications position at MMI. Brown also spent 10 years as executive director at NAIOP San Francisco Bay Area chapter, where she led the organization to achieving its first national award honors and recognition on Capitol Hill. She has written extensively on commercial real estate topics and edited numerous pieces on the subject.
