Dallas, TX
New Report Shows Growing Impact of Dallas' Parks Building Boom
Later today, Mayor Eric Johnson will announce that Dallas jumped another five spots in the Trust for Public Land’s annual ranking of city park access. More Dallas residents have access to a park within a 10-minute walk from their home than all other Texas cities except for Plano, which has long been atop the state’s rankings. We’re 38th in the country, which is up from 54th in 2019.
About 74 percent of residents now live within that 10-minute radius from a park. Our median park size is 7.8 acres, more than 2 acres above the national median. Much of the credit for this growth goes to the Trust’s Texas chapter, which has become a critical component of policy, advocacy, and execution in building out parks big and small throughout the city.
Last year’s splashiest addition was Big Cedar Wilderness, a 282-acre spread near Joe Pool Lake that had been owned by Liberty Bankers Life Insurance and was donated to the Trust. Trails for hiking and mountain biking snake through the pecan, oak, juniper, and ash trees. But the smaller initiatives have an outsized impact on park access, building the types of neighborhood green space that attract families and connect neighborhoods.
The Trust teamed with Dallas ISD, nonprofit Texas Trees Foundation, and the city to rebuild school playgrounds and tear down their fences so they could be used by the community after hours. Mayor Johnson directed the Trust to analyze all 2,800 city-owned parcels and figure out five that would be good locations for a park. The winning parcels are all in communities that didn’t have access to a park within a 10-minute walk, which included North Dallas, Pleasant Grove, Far East Dallas, Lake Highlands, and the Kleburg neighborhood of southern Dallas.
Mayor Mike Rawlings was one of the first mayors in the nation to sign his name to the Trust’s “10-Minute Walk to a Park” campaign, and Johnson has continued the momentum. Parks received $345 million of the recent $1.25 billion bond package, which includes new parkland, rec centers, and amenities.
We actually score a bit low on amenities, and the Trust dings us for our below-average amount of dog parks, rec centers, and playgrounds. Which they’ve dinged us for in the past. But the interesting thing is looking back to 2021, in the throes of COVID, when the Trust called out Dallas for furloughing 235 parks employees and expressed concern that park funding would be an immediate casualty of declining budgets.
Now, in 2024, the results show the opposite. Dallas continued to invest in its green infrastructure and landed some significant federal funding for ambitious projects, such as Southern Gateway Park over Interstate 35, and is finding ways to put smaller parks in neighborhoods that need them.
Plano, meanwhile, ranked 16th in the nation, and we still have plenty parts of town that are hotter than they need to be because of the urban heat island effect. We still have work to do, but Dallas is steadily growing one of its most critical public amenities.
Author
Matt Goodman
View Profile
Matt Goodman is the online editorial director for D Magazine. He’s written about a surgeon who killed, a man who…
With the start of the offseason right around the corner after the Stanley Cup Playoffs come to an end, the New York Rangers will be one of the teams seeking to improve.
This year, the Rangers came in last place in the Eastern Conference, and that resulted in them getting the fifth overall pick in the NHL Draft. New York will likely be using that pick to add some youth into the organization, but they also have another pick later on in the first round that they will have to decide what to do with.
While the team will have a good amount of cap space to pursue free agents, this isn’t a strong class, and it is lacking star power. For the Rangers, one of their top needs figures to be some help in the scoring department. In order to achieve that, they might have to go to the trade market looking for some help. Due to various reasons, good players always become available, and New York should pursue them if they do.
One player who could be on the radar for the Rangers is Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson. As a restricted free agent, Dallas still controls his fate, but even with the salary cap increase, they are projected to be in a tough spot.
While Dallas was one of the best teams in the Western Conference and still has a window of opportunity to win, the price tag for the talented Robertson might get too high for their liking.
As a restricted free agent, the team will have the chance to keep him, but that could result in them having to shed salary. This year, the talented forward totaled 96 goals with 45 points and 51 assists. Robertson has emerged as one of the best scorers in the game, but the Stars might entertain moving him if they deem the price tag too high.
For New York, with the need for a scoring star, Robertson checks those boxes. Furthermore, at just 26 years old, he is someone that they can build around, as any deal would likely come with a long-term extension.
Overall, while the likelihood of him being dealt might not be overly high, the Rangers should certainly inquire if they make him available. Robertson is the caliber of player that could turn things around quickly for New York and would be a great addition.
Behold the 2026 Dallas Cowboys schedule.
We knew coming into Thursday that the Cowboys would be on the road to take on the New York Giants in the season opener on Sunday Night Football, that Dallas is “hosting” the Baltimore Ravens in Brazil in Week 3, and that the Philadelphia Eagles would be in town for Thanksgiving Day. Now we know it all.
Among the first things that jump to mind is that bye week is late. Dallas isn’t on bye until Week 14, the Sunday of that week is December 13th for full perspective.
The Cowboys also only play twice in their own building, thanks to the Brazil game, before November. Sometimes those weird quirks show up in schedules and this is certainly one of them.
It is interesting to see that the NFL gave Dallas the longest amount of rest possible after their Thanksgiving tilt. It hasn’t been uncommon for the league to have the Cowboys play on consecutive Thursdays, but perhaps that is a thing of the past.
Flashit Photography
On Wednesday, the Dallas City Council approved funding that will replace highway exit signs and road signs marking Lamar Street with new signage honoring Botham Jean, the 26-year-old Dallas accountant who was fatally shot in his own apartment by an off-duty Dallas police officer in 2018.
The $180,500 in funding for 13 signs to be installed by the Texas Department of Transportation is the final step in the street renaming that was unanimously approved by the council in 2021. The new signs will be placed at exits along Interstate 45, State Highway 310 and U.S. Highway 175.
Already, Botham Jean Boulevard signs run along the road in the Cedars, where Jean lived before he was killed.
“This street on which he chose to live and the street on which he died can serve as a lasting memory of the upstanding resident who loved Dallas so much,” his mother, Allison Jean, told the council in 2021.
Jean was shot by Amber Guyger, a Dallas police officer, after she entered his apartment believing it was her own. A Dallas jury found Guyger guilty of murder in 2019 and sentenced her to 10 years in prison. She has also been ordered to pay the Jean family nearly $100 million in a civil trial, which accused her of using excessive force.
The Jean family is seeking restitution from the city of Dallas because they argue that Dallas, as Guyger’s former employer, had a duty to defend Guyger and pay out claims brought against her. The Jean family filed suit against the city in April of this year.
On Wednesday, city council member Adam Bazaldua stated that the continued remembrance of Jean’s name is a reminder that “no one is above the law.”
“This has never simply been about changing street signs; it has always been about commemorating a life that was taken too soon,” said Bazaldua. “When driving down Botham Jean Boulevard, we are reminded of the thousands of lives lost across the country each year to senseless gun violence.”
Bazaldua said that once city leaders were made aware that some signs from the initial 2021 street name change had not materialized, the horseshoe took steps to correct the oversight “somewhat promptly.” But he acknowledged that Wednesday’s funding came on the heels of community advocacy urging the project’s completion.
Community leader Yafeuh Balogun said his organization, Community Movement Builders, began asking the city for the updated signs in September 2025. Addressing the council ahead of Wednesday’s vote, Balogun encouraged the horseshoe to vote in favor of the funds because it “would make no sense” to not follow through with the street renaming approved years ago.
“I think this is very powerful simply because driving here today, I still saw the Lamar Street Signs,” Balogun said. “I remember how powerful it was back in 2021 when the city council voted to rename Lamar Street to Botham Jean. I’d like to keep that legacy going.”
-
New York27 minutes agoQuestions Arise About Jack Schlossberg’s Readiness for Congress
-
Los Angeles, Ca33 minutes agoLos Angeles releases searchable list of worst rental properties
-
Detroit, MI57 minutes agoMLB News & Moments: Mets Gain Much-Needed Momentum by Sweeping Detroit
-
San Francisco, CA1 hour agoWhere to Find Free Street Parking for Shows in San Francisco | KQED
-
Dallas, TX1 hour agoDallas Stars Forward Would Be Perfect Trade Target for NY Rangers
-
Boston, MA1 hour agoJetBlue to pull out of N.H.’s largest airport amid capacity crisis, officials announce – The Boston Globe
-
Denver, CO2 hours agoDenver area events for May 15
-
Seattle, WA2 hours agoFriday Roundtable: Free Summer Shuttles