CITY SURVEY VIEW FROM THE STREET: HOW DO YOU SEE YOUR CITY?

We’re taking a slight departure from our “Consumer Notes” column this month and instead are including survey questions given to us by The Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture. Now is your chance to tell us what you think about downtown Dallas. The Institute will use your answers as the basis for a free, open-to-the-public workshop at the downtown Dallas Public Library on March 13 and 14 featuring noted urban critic William “Holly” Whyte. The event, called “Dallas Spaces, Human Places,” is being co-sponsored by the City of Dallas, the Central Business District Association and the Dallas Public Library.

Institute director Gail Thomas and Dallas Assistant City Manager Jay Fountain originated the idea of having a workshop featuring Whyte, who has spent a lifetime studying how people behave in an urban environment. Thomas credits CBDA director Jim Cloar and library director Patrick O’Brien with helping to organize the event.

Thomas says she is enthralled by the tremendous influence Whyte’s studies have had on street life in New York City. She says Whyte has a particular interest in Dallas because of the unusual development of the Arts District and its future influence on the city. Since approximately 106,000 of area citizens spend eight to 12 hours each workday in downtown Dallas, we think these survey questions warrant some serious consideration. Use extra paper if needed, and mail your answers to Downtown Street Life Survey, The Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture, 2719 Routh, Dallas, Texas 75201. We’ll publish the results in a later issue.