The Washington Post today brings us a story about a city in Maryland called Mount Rainier that is borrowing a page from our buddies in Oak Cliff. They’re going to try to fire up their own version of the Better Block Project. Kudos to Jason Roberts and his merry band of hipsters.
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A Daily Conversation About Dallas
In my recap of the Blues, Bandits & BBQ gig in Oak Cliff, I mentioned the Better Block project, which shows how a street can be transformed by applying some simple urban design concepts. But you want specifics and pictures, don’t you? Jason Roberts breaks it down for you.
1. Listen, Mr. Deputy. We’re not firing you because you blew the whistle on your superiors, who were requiring officers to help in their re-election campaigns, or accepting bribes from towing companies. These are tough economic times, and we need to make some cuts. We just determined that your department is the most expendable.
2. It was pretty darn hot yesterday on Davis St. And according to Go Oak Cliff’s Rob Shearer, the grass fed beef used in the barbecue competition didn’t cook up as expected (maybe chemical and hormone additives are good for something after all). But despite a few setbacks, the Blues, Bandits, and Barbecue festival communicated on a larger scale what Better Block showed us last spring: forget TIFs and tax incentives, developer coddling, and multi-million dollar condo projects with parking garages. Realizing the vibrant, urban centers we love to visit in other cities just takes a little greenery, traffic calming, relaxed permitting requirements and parking codes, and a little imagination.Â
3. I know what you all really want to read this morning: some positive, upbeat football news. It turns out I found some. FC Dallas snatched a draw against the San Jose Earthquakes over the weekend, extending their unbeaten streak to 14 games.