Klyde Warren Park – Bridge between Downtown Dallas and Uptown

Project Description

Klyde Warren Park was created in downtown Dallas using the eight-lane Woodall Rodgers Expressway as a bridge, separating Downtown and Uptown. The park connects Downtown, the city's cultural hub, with Uptown, the more residential neighborhood. The park has not only generated economic benefits but also environmental improvements, including CO2 sequestration through native trees, temperature reductions through shade trees and structural shading, and water conservation through rainwater collection in a lower-level reservoir. A nonprofit organization maintains the park. Built with public and private funding, the park features a flexible, pedestrian-oriented design, a playground, expansive lawns, a restaurant, a performance stage, water features, playgrounds, a dog park, and an arboretum. Free daily activities include performances, workshops, and fitness classes.

The Story of the Project

Klyde Warren Park was built on one of the busiest highways in Texas. For many years, the eight-lane Woodall Rodgers Freeway separated downtown Dallas from the densely populated Uptown neighborhood to the north. Closing the gap and creating a new heart in the city's core restored connectivity and transformed the city. Klyde Warren Park is a vibrant, well-programmed 5.2-acre urban park that serves as a common ground for surrounding museums and businesses. Since its opening, the park has welcomed more than one million visitors annually and has become central Dallas' most popular public space.

The park's surroundings have created a new living space, resulting in increased property and rental income in the surrounding area, which has significantly contributed to the economy. This has contributed to the city's development. With the park, the city's identity has changed, becoming more livable and attracting immigration. These factors have also contributed significantly to the economy.

In addition to impacting real estate and property values, the park has provided numerous economic benefits, including savings in park operations and maintenance. By utilizing a high-efficiency LED lighting system and fixtures incorporating solar panels, the park saves approximately 94,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity annually compared to traditional lighting.

Klyde Warren Park incorporates several features to enhance the site's environment and increase sustainable practices. Building the park on an existing highway reduces CO2 emissions by approximately 8.5 tons per year through newly planted trees, reduces rainwater runoff by 240,000 liters, reduces temperatures (20-45 degrees Celsius in shaded areas), and reduces air pollution and noise. The park hosts regionally appropriate trees, shrubs, and ornamental plants. This connects to the surrounding ecological needs, encourages species establishment, and bridges the divide created by the highway.

Klyde Warren Park, including grasses, vegetation, and gravel surfaces, exhibits a permeability of over % 50, compared to the impermeable highway it covers. Strategies and activities have been implemented to manage freshwater as a sustainable resource. A subsurface reservoir can collect and store up to 45,000 liters of greywater collected from the park's water features for irrigation improvement and reuse. A drainage mat between the soil and the above-ground infrastructure also retains excess water, helping to conserve soil moisture.

One of the most striking details about the project was that the project's principal designers were landscape architects. They collaborated with designers from other disciplines and areas of expertise to design the park, and the landscape architects laid out the outline.

Contractor
OJB Landscape Architecture
Structural Parts and Civil Engineering
Jacobs Engineering Group
Architect
Thomas Phifer and Partners
Programming
Bjerke Management Solutions
Business and Management
Biederman Redevelopment Ventures
Special Structural Engineering
Endres Design Studios
Water Structures Consultant
Fluidity Design Consultants
Lighting
Focus Lighting
Restaurant Interior Design
The Johnson Studios
Flooring Contractor
Archer Western
Restaurant MEP
Schmidt & Stacy Consulting Engineers
LEED Consultant
WARE Architecture

Source: NEVER