Dallas, TX

In Dallas, Even the Sidewalks Are for Sale

Published

7 months ago

May 1, 2024

In Dallas, Even the Sidewalks Are for Sale

The city of Dallas once again wants to monetize its sidewalks. Later today, the Dallas City Council will be briefed on a plan to enter into a contract in June with a company that will plant interactive digital kiosks in downtown and other neighborhoods, likely on sidewalks. The vendor would make money from advertising and share the revenue with the city for permission to use Dallas’ right of way.

We’ve been through this before. There are 137 bulbous kiosks presently jutting out into walking paths all over the city, from downtown up to Forest Lane. The City Council unanimously approved them in 2005 and by the next year, then Mayor Laura Miller was complaining about the “giant spaceship[s]” on our public sidewalks. Whoops! Today, 18 years since their installation, some slump and lean. The plastic that covers the ad has turned scratched and cloudy, a decent canvas for quick graffiti. Some of them were placed, as the image above these words shows, right where people walk. The city can’t pull them up until 2026, when the existing contract expires.

I suppose it’s important to note that the kiosks the City Council will learn about today are not exactly like the tubes that we’ve learned to live with. They’re sleeker, about 8 feet tall and 3 feet wide, compared to the 6-foot-tall, 4-foot-deep stubs that don’t do much other than show you an Amazon Prime ad. The new ones will have wifi. They can provide directions and highlight events and other amenities. Some can have EV charging, which might work near parks. The presentation also lists such unbelievably vague and nebulous benefits as, in the city’s words, “limitless innovation” that promises “development of state-of-the-art content and features.”

So they’re like a bunch of really big, static smartphones that we may or may not have to dodge as we’re walking to work. And we’ll have them by the World Cup! And when the World Cup leaves, we’ll still have them.

Since 2006, the city has made $16.7 million from the kiosk program, which sort of sounds like the municipal version of a low-yield savings account. There are many people who don’t think the potential revenue is worth the risk of worsening our already subpar pedestrian infrastructure. Too, the Department of Public Works didn’t ask for public input before putting the matter out to bid. Downtown businesses, already frustrated by the existing obstacle course of kiosks, raised a stink. In February, the City Council ordered public works to pull the bid and hold a couple of listening sessions, which concluded this week.

They did not find much support for the idea.

“This plan has been met with overwhelming opposition from stakeholders throughout the greater Downtown area who say there is no appetite for more urban sidewalk obstructions,” said Jennifer Scripps, the executive director of Downtown Dallas Inc. Her concerns were echoed by Councilmember Paul Ridley, whose district includes downtown, Uptown, and portions of East Dallas. DDI on Tuesday night sent a letter to Council urging them to deny issuing another Request for Proposals. (The RFP is the formal name for the bid.)

Where you can find existing kiosks downtown. Downtown Dallas Inc.

Stephanie Hudiburg, the executive director of the Deep Ellum Foundation, pointed to the special purpose sign district ordinance that explicitly bans digital displays and signage in the neighborhood just east of downtown. (The foundation hasn’t submitted an official stance to the city, but it seems like they got ahead of the issue.)

“A large part of the intent behind that particular rule was to preclude digital kiosks, which city staff can attest to,” she wrote in an email. “As a historic district, our stakeholders prioritized an analog vs. digital aesthetic as most fitting to Deep Ellum.”

The city’s own presentation lists a litany of concerns: impeding walkability, violating ADA, vehicular distractions, “negative aesthetic,” and potential for vandalism. The two pros include public safety additions like emergency call buttons and cameras, and the promotional aspect of “showcasing local businesses.”

Intentional or not, the RFP appears tailored for an Ohio-based vendor called IKE Smart City, LLC. (That stands for Interactive Kiosk Experience.) Dallas employees identified 18 other cities that have entered into agreements with the company, each of which makes sure to say that their 8-foot-tall kiosks are “multilingual” and “ADA-compliant.” The city wants to move quickly. It is asking Council for permission to reissue the RFP in May and approve it by June.

During a briefing last May, Hatefi could not say how many are being proposed or where they might be located. That would get worked out in the contract. Too, the city doesn’t seem to know how much revenue this might bring in. We do know the revenue is tied to selling ads, so Hatefi expected they would be placed near “the most advantageous locations that their advertising could generate revenue.” Which likely means in places where people are walking. (And 20 percent of them will be in “equity zones” defined by the city.)

City records show that registered lobbyist Randall Bryant organized at least two meetings in 2022 with Assistant City Manager Robert Perez on behalf of IKE Smart City. There was also a phone call with City Councilmember Tennell Atkins that same year. (Bryant didn’t respond to questions.)

There are scenarios where these can work. Dallas Area Rapid Transit has installed more than 300 digital kiosks near some of its bus and rail stations, which are set aside and deliver status updates to riders. The kiosks being considered by the city of Dallas are clearly intended for tourists. Maybe they work around Fair Park, as Councilmember Adam Bazaldua has suggested, or the Southern Gateway Deck Park once it opens. Klyde Warren, the Farmers Market, the future convention center—sure, maybe, but they shouldn’t be in sidewalks.

You can probably walk outside your office right now and find an example of why.

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Matt Goodman

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Matt Goodman is the online editorial director for D Magazine. He’s written about a surgeon who killed, a man who…

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Dallas, TX

‘We are here in Texas’: Dallas Asian American Art Collective puts on its first show

Published

4 hours ago

November 26, 2024

Press Room

‘We are here in Texas’: Dallas Asian American Art Collective puts on its first show

A photography print of a man inside a minaret tower. A ceramic chalice. A tissue paper collage illustration from a children’s book. A short film about a trip to Europe with friends.

Each of these pieces of artwork was created by Asian American artists from North Texas and featured in the Dallas Asian American Art Collective’ first annual art show over the weekend.

The co-curators Leili Arai Tavallaei, Jackie Tao Law and Christina J. Hahn, who are all Dallas-based artists, partnered with The Cedars Union where they put on the show.

People explore the exhibit as the Dallas Asian American Art Collective hosts its first annual show at the Cedars Union Dallas on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (Juan Figueroa / Staff Photographer)

Tavallaei said the collective wanted to reflect the diversity of emerging and established AAPI artists in North Texas. The co-curator is a printmaker, mixed-media painter and animator whose work explores her mixed race identity as someone with parents who are Persian Iranian and Hāfu, mixed Japanese identity.

“A lot of people, when they hear of Asian artists, they usually think of international Asian artists that have made it big across the pond,” she said. “We here want to kind of make a statement that we are, in fact, here in the States. We are here in Texas.”

Law said that distinction of being an Asian American artist matters because being part of the diaspora is an entirely different experience from being Asian.

“You end up having this blend of maybe your home culture and then being from wherever you immigrated to,” said Law, who is a first-generation Hakka Chinese visual artist.

Here are some of the artists who displayed work at the show:

A stillshot from Jorenzo Mallari's video "To Here and Back" shows the Hong Kong Market Place. — A stillshot from Jorenzo Mallari’s video “To Here and Back” shows the Hong Kong Market Place.(Courtesy of Jorenzo Mallari)

Growing up way out east in Tyler, Mallari said his family would travel two hours one-way to get groceries from the Hong Kong Market Place in Dallas. It was part of his family’s Sunday ritual: get a haircut, buy groceries and head home.

Mallari said there’s a “small but mighty” Filipino community in Tyler, but for a long time there wasn’t a space to pick up basic ingredients to make food from his culture.

“When I was a kid, I was annoyed that we would have to be there. But as I got older, I appreciated how important that was, how some of my favorite foods we wouldn’t have been able to make it or they wouldn’t have been my favorite foods had we not gone there.”

The second-generation Filipino American filmmaker describes “To Here and Back” as a visual tone poem that reflects the immigrant story.

“I think it’s about coming back to a place and seeing how time has changed it even though it’s kind of stayed the same in your head,” he said.

Dongjing Zhang Berglund poses with her son Gordon, 7, in front of her piece “People... — Dongjing Zhang Berglund poses with her son Gordon, 7, in front of her piece “People Studies,” 2023, Fountain Pen, Fude nib 55 degrees inked with Platinum Carbon Black, during the Dallas Asian American Art Collective’s first annual show at the Cedars Union Dallas on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (Juan Figueroa / Staff Photographer)

Berglund said this last year she focused on “trying to be more Chinese” and returning to her roots. A big part of that has been drawing scenes from everyday life in China, including sketches of three delivery drivers, a night market full of delicious snacks or people waiting in line with thick parkas.

“I was just there about a year ago during the winter when everyone was in the big, puffy jackets which is not something you see in Texas,” she said.

Dongjing Zhang Berglund talks about her piece “People Studies,” 2023, Fountain Pen, Fude nib... — Dongjing Zhang Berglund talks about her piece “People Studies,” 2023, Fountain Pen, Fude nib 55 degrees inked with Platinum Carbon Black, during the Dallas Asian American Art Collective’s first annual show at the Cedars Union Dallas on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (Juan Figueroa / Staff Photographer)

Originally from Beijing, the artist – who works as a web architect by day – now lives in Plano with her family. She sometimes makes sketches from photos and online reference art, which reminds her of how different the scenery is back in China.

“I remember the hutongs, which are the little alleys. I remember wearing my red scarf as a little kid and the yellow hats in elementary,” she said. “Seeing those things in drawings brings back a lot of memories.”

Jae Hyun Choi poses in front of his piece “Immanence,” 2024, Acrylic, pastel chalk on canvas... — Jae Hyun Choi poses in front of his piece “Immanence,” 2024, Acrylic, pastel chalk on canvas sheet, diptych, during the Dallas Asian American Art Collective’s first annual show at the Cedars Union Dallas on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024.(Juan Figueroa / Staff Photographer)

Choi is a medical student in North Texas by day and artist by night. His colorful, abstract paintings don’t immediately seem to reference language but that’s the inspiration for his work.

He said he incorporates Chinese typography into his pieces as a system that connects Korean and Japanese, the two languages that he speaks.

The artist said he wanted to explore questions like: “How do we represent the world through language? What are some ways that you can kind of twist or distort or play with the form of language to represent the world?”

Choi said language has been an important way to connect with loved ones.

“It’s how I feel connected to my family abroad. Whenever I go back to that language context, it feels like coming home in a way,” he said. I feel like so much of Korean culture is bound up in the way language is constructed, in the way you relate to people and honorifics.”

Arts Access is an arts journalism collaboration powered by The Dallas Morning News and KERA.

This community-funded journalism initiative is funded by the Better Together Fund, Carol & Don Glendenning, City of Dallas OAC, Communities Foundation of Texas, The University of Texas at Dallas, The Dallas Foundation, Eugene McDermott Foundation, James & Gayle Halperin Foundation, Jennifer & Peter Altabef and The Meadows Foundation. The News and KERA retain full editorial control of Arts Access’ journalism.

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Dallas, TX

Dallas game warden investigating coyote shootings in Lochwood neighborhood

Published

12 hours ago

November 25, 2024

Press Room

Dallas game warden investigating coyote shootings in Lochwood neighborhood

DALLAS – Authorities are investigating whether a vigilante is shooting coyotes in a Dallas neighborhood.

Dallas Animal Services says it’s investigating three coyote deaths since August. Two of them were shot.

Authorities don’t know who is doing it, but people who live in the area are rattled.

Emily Levin is still left disturbed by the dead coyote found in her front yard last week.

“Wednesday, this dead coyote appeared in our front yard on the border between our yard and our neighbor’s yard,” she recalled.

Levin says a city wildlife investigator immediately came out to her Lochwood neighborhood and revealed the coyote had been shot.

“And I asked her if she knew if it had been shot in our front yard or it had walked. And she said it was hard to tell, which is not reassuring,” Levin said.

DAS tells FOX 4 it’s been investigating a possible trend since August.

Three coyotes have been found dead in Lochwood. Two were shot. The third was disposed of before the city arrived on scene.

“Like, don’t go shooting a gun in a neighborhood!” Levin said.

The neighborhood has been shaken for weeks.

Just a few streets over from Levin, a homeowner sent FOX 4 surveillance video from late October where you can hear gunfire. You can hear glass shattering at the end.

One bullet went through a home’s front window near Easton Road and East Lake Highlands Drive. No one was hurt.

More recently, the same homeowner said he heard gunshots again Sunday afternoon. Dallas police say they responded, but no one was injured.

It’s unknown if these incidents are related to the coyote shootings.

However, the Dallas County game warden confirmed they are investigating and are asking for all surveillance video to be handed over.

Levin has a warning to anyone disrupting the peace in her neighborhood.

“Don’t bring that to our neighborhood. It’s too nice of a place for that,” she said.

The Dallas County game warden couldn’t reveal too much information on the investigation but wanted to remind people the coyotes in urban areas are being monitored.

At this point, no coyotes in the Lochwood area have posed a threat to humans.

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Dallas, TX

Where to find the best Christmas lights in Dallas-Fort Worth

Published

20 hours ago

November 25, 2024

Press Room

Where to find the best Christmas lights in Dallas-Fort Worth

article

Gather your family, grab some hot cocoa, and explore the best Christmas light displays across DFW. This list includes free attractions and festive events with admission fees:

Christmas Lights Show:

Dallas Zoo Lights

A holiday tradition is back: Dallas Zoo Lights returns

The Dallas Zoo is now exploding with lights, lanterns, and new immersive experiences. FOX 4’s Shannon Murray gives us an inside look at the festivities:

When: Nov. 22 – Jan. 5
Where: Dallas Zoo
What: Enjoy illuminated zoo animals, creative displays, and larger-than-life decorations. Perfect for kids and families.
Cost: Tickets start at $16.

Dallas Zoo Lights Presented by Reliant

Holiday at the Arboretum

12 Days of Christmas event returns to Dallas Arboretum

This year, Dallas Arboretum is celebrating ’10 years’ of it’s celebrated ’12 Days of Christmas’ event. The tradition for many North Texas families returns tonight.

When: Nov. 13 – Jan. 5
Where: Dallas Arboretum
What: Thousands of lights and elaborate decorations set the scene for this cherished Dallas holiday tradition. Activities and food add to the festive atmosphere.
Cost: Tickets range from $13 to $37, depending on age and time of visit.

Holiday at the Arboretum

Lightscape

When: Nov. 22 – Jan. 5
Where: Fort Worth Botanic Garden
What: Millions of lights transform the gardens into a magical, glowing winter wonderland. Seasonal treats and warm beverages are available for purchase.
Cost: Tickets range from $12 to $30.

Lightscape

Tianyu Lights Festival

Magical Forest Tianyu Lights Festival in Grand Prairie

Vibrant colors everywhere you look at the Tianyu Lights Festival… The spectacular festival has opened in North Texas and will close January 19th.

When: Nov. 8 – Jan. 19
Where: Grand Prairie, Texas
What: Stroll through a magical forest filled with vibrant, handcrafted light displays. Food and drinks are available for purchase.
Cost: Admission ranges from $16 to $33, depending on the day. Parking costs $10 online or $15 onsite.

https://tianyuculture.us/dallas/