THE CENTER FOR THE CITY
Imagining
Dallas: Gardens for the City;
Gardens for the Soul
Dr.
Gail Thomas and guest speakers
New forms are emerging in the 21st century city—a greater emphasis on human places and natural habitat. Whereas the magnificent forms of the 20th century city stand in monumental defiance to nature, in the new century we reflect on the basic nature of being human—human nature—and see that altering our environment has separated us from God-given resources that heal and renew. We now seek forms that bring human achievement and nature together as one.
Dallas is a city of Great Spirit—its finest natural resource. Aware that every structure and institution is changing in our region, we seek some basic truth within the land itself that speaks of the integrity of place. And it seems important that we attain a new sensibility as our new city emerges—one to work with forces that create and maintain life.
What is this spirit of place? We suggest that gardens are the forms emerging for 21st century cities—as places to calm the frenzied soul of the urban dweller, as public living rooms, as intimate expressions of the infinite mystery of life. Dallas needs to be a city of gardens.
This event will feature plans for a central park in Downtown Dallas as well as the Master Plan for Dallas Parks and ideas on how the Trinity River Corridor might be imagined as a recreational treasure to unite Dallas and Oak Cliff. Featured will be Betsy Damon who has worked several years in Chengdu, China, population five million, to create a Living Water Garden between the city and the nearby river.
Dallas
City Hall, Council
Chambers
Friday, March 14: 9 am – 4:30 pm
Entrance fee: $50 in advance, $60 at the door- box lunch included
8:30am
Check-in
and Coffee in Flag Room -
Seating in City Council Chamber
9:00
Welcome - Larry Allums, Ph.D., Director, The Dallas Institute
9:15
Remarks - Mayor of Dallas Laura Miller
9:40
The City as Garden - Gail Thomas, Ph.D., Director,
Dallas
Institute's Center for the City
10:00
Living Water Gardens - Betsy Damon, Creator of a Living
Water
Garden in the city of Chengdu, China (population 5 million)
10:45
Public Discussion
11:00
Break
11:20
Have We Lost the Garden? - Louise Cowan, Ph.D.
12:00pm Box Lunch
1:00
Can the Trinity be our Central Park? -
Alex Krieger,
FAIA, Chan Krieger & Associates, Cambridge, Mass.
Glenn
Allen, Founding Principal, Hargreaves Associates,
San Francisco, Calif.
2:00
Public Discussion
2:30
Break
2:45
Finding
a Downtown Commons - Robert Decherd
3:00
The Nasher Sculpture Garden - Raymond Nasher
3:15
The Latino Cultural Center - Mary Suhm
3:30
Panel Discussion -
Rena Pederson, Moderator;
Betsy Damon; Alex Krieger; Glenn Allen; Robert Decherd;
Raymond Nasher; Mary Suhm; Michael Bradshaw,
Dallas Trees and Parks Foundation; Paul Dyer, City of Dallas
Parks & Recreation Department; Adelaide Leavens, Ft. Worth
Streams & Valleys
4:30 pm Adjourn
| Co-Sponsors
AIA
Dallas |
Underwriters
Deedie & Rusty Rose
Nelda & Boone Pickens
Brooke & Frank Aldridge |
