On Saturday, September 18, the West Dallas Chamber of Commerce produced a charrette, a collaborative design
workshop that integrates local community views and professional opinions.
The focus of the charrette was the gateway area anchored by the Woodall
Rogers extension bridge (construction
begins next year) and Trinity River Park's "waterfront" property in West Dallas
(Canada and Beckley between Sylvan and I-30).
West Dallas Charrette report
Sent: Monday, September 20, 2004 7:57 AM
From: Randall White, President,
Corporate Citizen Group
To the board of the West Dallas Chamber of Commerce, carboning our elected
officials:
Nearly 100 participants along with 25 other guests, observers and VIPs --
including two U.S. Congressmen and three
city councilpersons -- gathered together on Saturday to launch a new,
collaborative future for West Dallas.
It was a very good day for West Dallas.
A highlight was when the older Hispanic gentleman from the Ledbetter
Neighborhood Association stood up and thanked
all who were assembled for coming together in a way he had never seen the
community come together for West Dallas.
What was particularly telling -- and what will be detailed in our
report -- was how, in most instances, people did
not want to talk about the problems. People wanted instead to protect
what is valued and then explore the
opportunities.
There was a huge amount of information, some great ideas for respectful
redevelopment and seizing opportunities
that will be presented by the three major public works projects. Several
new and -- more importantly -- positive
and optimistic champions also surfaced who have the ability to lead West
Dallas past the divisions and fiefdoms
which have hampered it in the past.
To be honest, within some table teams, there were a few isolated
demonstrations of non-collaboration... and from
some very surprising organizational sources whose charters, you'd think,
would run counter to such community
aloofness. More on that in our report, as well.
What is most promising, however, is what will be next. Each participant
was asked to volunteer time and talent to
take this grassroots-driven process to the next level. I anticipated we
would get ten volunteers...
...you wound up with thirty.
Plus, those thirty included six of the ten design professionals in the
room, each of whom has now volunteered their
time and talents to this approach and the project. These thirty citizens
form a tremendous nucleus around which to
build what we believe is the only model that can make community-driven
ideas and plans a reality. West Dallas
needs more than just another exercise or spiral-bound report gathering
dust on a shelf. As Fernando Costa, the
planning director for the City of Fort Worth, told us, community-friendly
transformation will not happen if we wait
for someone else to do it for us.
We realize (and understand why) not everyone on the West Dallas Chamber of
Commerce Board wanted to undertake this
charrette. I have to tell you, however -- and I believe this will be
echoed by most of the participants -- this
was about the single most valuable and sustainable investment the Chamber
could have made in West Dallas. You have
won huge esteem in the community -- and across Dallas.
Over the next week, the CCG will thank volunteers, participants and
sponsors and begin the debriefing process. We
will then take the next several weeks to compile stakeholders'
recommendations, document materials and
presentations, and fashion these into a blueprint for a new beginning that
can be used as a springboard by these 30
champions, the West Dallas Chamber Board, and the growing Chamber
membership.
Thank you again for the the support so many of you gave to this approach.
========================
Randall White, President
Corporate Citizen Group
P.O. Box 222195
Dallas, TX 75222-2195 USA
randall@corporatecitizengroup.com
+1.214.946.4600
http://www.corporatecitizengroup.com
