State Fair News

Fair Park Dallas selects Calif design firm to turn parking lot into park

They're going to turn a parking lot into a park.

Photo courtesy of Fair Park First

A renowned landscape architect firm from California has been selected to design a new community park at Fair Park, the 277-acre National Historic Landmark in Dallas that's home to the State Fair of Texas.

Studio-MLA, a Los Angeles-based firm founded by landscape guru Mia Lehrer, will design a new Community Park to replace a 1,000-space parking lot. The studio won the appointment from a field of 30 applicants, following a nationwide search launched in June 2020. Dallas loves a nationwide search.

The 11-acre park is the first project to come out of the Fair Park Master Plan Update, which recently received the Unbuilt Dream/Study Award from the Greater Dallas Planning Council.

According to a release, Studio-MLA's presentation showed an innovative approach that won over community stakeholders and Fair Park's leadership team alike. The decision was made by Fair Park First, Spectra, and Biederman Redevelopment Ventures (BRV)—the management and operations team of Fair Park.

Completed Studio-MLA projects include Natural History Museum's Nature Gardens in Los Angeles, and the revitalization of the Los Angeles River. Lehrer is an advocate for protecting and preserving urban waterways and also a proponent of green schoolyards.

The planned Community Park design will likely include:

large lawn
children's play area with an interactive water feature
naturalized plantings
remembrance gardens
small pavilion for gatherings
movable tables and chairs

The park will also provide free programming for children, adults, and seniors. A typical calendar of events during a week might include fitness classes, small musical performances, art workshops, drum circles, a reading room, and outdoor movies.

Studio-MLA is part of a core team that also includes Dallas landscape architects Studio Outside, internationally award-winning architect Allison Grace Williams, FAIA, and Dallas-based architects and historical narrative storytellers building community WORKSHOP.

It doesn't stop there. Sub-consultants experts include Fluidity for fountain design; Essential Light; CRTKL for graphics and wayfinding; JQ Engineers for Structural, Civil, and stormwater innovation strategies; Terracon for Environmental Engineering; MEPCE for M/E/P Engineering, Hines irrigation consultants; and Project Resources Group for cost consultation.

BRV president Dan Biederman, who gained national prominence for his transformation of New York City's Bryant Park, says that "the creation of the Community Park is a step towards reawakening a sleeping giant in South Dallas."

"Parks and green spaces with community-curated, daily programs and amenities can create catalytic change," Biederman says. "Parks with daily free programming can grow the local economy, drive tourism, connect communities, create a sense of place, improve public health, provide safety, and protect the city's most important natural places. The Community Park will be just that - a park for the community."

Fair Park First's mission is to restore, revitalize, and renew Fair Park to attract attention from across the region and the country.

parks state-fair

Fun times in the city

Dallas swings a spot on new list of most fun cities in U.S. for 2024

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Dallas just wants to have fun, according to WalletHub's new ranking of the most fun cities in America in 2024.

The annual report ranked Dallas No. 31 out of 182 U.S. cities.

WalletHub's experts compared each city using 65 metrics to determine their level of "fun." Metrics were split among three main categories: entertainment and recreation, nightlife and parties, and cost.

According to the study's findings, Dallas was 24th nationally in the category for nightlife and parties, and ranked No. 39 in the "entertainment and recreation" category. That may be especially alluring for anyone who wants to explore the city's vast entertainment opportunities (especially during the holiday season), family-friendly recreational activities, top dining destinations, and more. Plus, Dallas is home to entertainment juggernauts like the State Fair of Texas and TopGolf.

Dallas performed poorly in the overall cost category, earning No. 114 out of all 182 cities. However, this category mostly compares flat costs rather than affordability based on local cost of living.

Potential new Dallasites should do their research before deciding to move here, rather than basing their decision on short trips and vacations alone. But we won't blame them for wanting to live in one of the best cities in the world.

"The top cities offer affordable options for year-round fun for their residents, which is good for residents’ wallets and their mental health," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo in the report.

Austin (No. 6) and Houston (No. 9) were the only Texas cities to earn a spot in the top 10 most fun U.S. cities list. Austin moved up one spot from last year, while Houston made a 10-place jump.

Other fun-filled Texas cities that made it in the top 100 are El Paso (No. 53), Fort Worth (No. 55), Plano (No. 78), Arlington (No. 79), and Corpus Christi (No. 99).

The top 10 most fun U.S. cities are:

No. 1 – Las Vegas, Nevada
No. 2 – Orlando, Florida
No. 3 – Miami, Florida
No. 4 – Atlanta, Georgia
No. 5 – New Orleans, Louisiana
No. 6 – Austin, Texas
No. 7 – San Francisco, California
No. 8 – Chicago, Illinois
No. 9 – Houston, Texas
No. 10 – New York City, New York

Cities were evaluated based on the number of attractions per capita, nightlife activities per capita, the average prices for eating at a restaurant or buying a movie ticket, and more. Data was sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau, The Trust for Public Land, and the Council for Community and Economic Research, among others.

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