Trinity Creek: A Mixed-Use Development in a Transit Oriented Neighborhood, Dallas, Texas

Abstract

ABSTRACT

Title of Document: TRINITY CREEK: A MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT IN A TRANSIT ORIENTED NEIGHBORHOOD

in Dallas, Texas

John Mark Guest, Master of Architecture, May 2006

Directed By: Professor, Ralph Bennett, AIA, School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation

Texas is known for its size. However, land is a limited resource. Open land continues to decrease as metropolitan areas continue to spread ever outward. Many of the metropolitan areas of Texas that had once been individual towns have grown together. Dallas is no exception. In contrast, Laura Miller, Mayor of Dallas, is energizing revitalization of downtown. Office buildings, vacant since the recession of the mid 1980's, are being renovated into lofts. The addition of the light rail has brought mass transit to the area. The Trinity River Corridor Project (TRCP), an ongoing study to reclaim valuable river front land and establish additional city parks, is underway. An additional part of this TRCP initiative is to study 23 blighted areas that have been selected as targets for redevelopment.

This thesis takes one of these 23 blighted areas to study the possibility of employing the ideas of Transit Oriented Neighborhood in a mixed-use building. The site bisected by the Corinth Viaduct was selected for this thesis for its proximity to downtown, adjacency to the Trinity River, and access to the DART Light Rail. This thesis considers recent trends of the Transit-Oriented Neighborhood Development type as well as the functional and aesthetic elements necessary to create a thriving part of downtown Dallas. Such elements must draw residents, businesses, and the visitors needed on a daily basis. It seeks to create an entertainment zone that establishes a River Walk destination for Dallas.