Arlington will host nine FIFA World Cup matches this summer at AT&T Stadium, and as the event draws nearer, Dallas is beginning to think about ways to get in on the action.
The city has proposed closing some downtown Dallas streets to vehicles to create pedestrian zones as a way to entice visitors to add a downtown Dallas stop on their itinerary between matches in Arlington.
This is a good idea, and the City Council should move forward with the plan. Closing downtown streets to make them more accessible for pedestrians could create the kind of lively, walkable atmosphere that major international events demand. Visitors who have never been to Dallas before will expect more than stadiums and highways. Temporarily reclaiming downtown streets for people rather than cars could make Dallas more welcoming to World Cup fans and to the people who already work and live in the neighborhood.
Dallas is also planning a free fan festival at Fair Park, another smart move to attract people to one of our city’s gems. The success of the fan festival and downtown pedestrian zones will depend on how well the city connects them. Encouraging visitors to take DART’s Green Line between Fair Park and downtown should be part of the plan.
Opinion
The World Cup offers Dallas the opportunity to experiment, helping residents and officials picture what pedestrian streets could look like downtown if they were made permanent. If successful, they could spark larger conversations about how downtown streets are designed or reimagined in the coming years.
Much of the urban core is dominated by one-way streets that are not pleasant to navigate in a car, let alone on foot. Demonstrating how a few streets can prioritize pedestrians, even for a limited time, could help city leaders plan for more walkable areas that attract residents and visitors downtown after the World Cup crowds leave.
The city will need to plan carefully for pedestrian streets to work. Road closures and ongoing construction downtown and in Deep Ellum already create traffic backups and headaches for drivers. There will need to be clear strategies for managing street closures so they don’t create even more gridlock.
And then there’s the Texas summer. Anyone who has walked downtown in the midday heat knows it’s not an enjoyable experience. If Dallas hopes to encourage fans to linger downtown in June and July, finding respites from the sun will be key. Shaded areas, cooling stations and water access will make the difference between lively pedestrian areas and empty ones.
The World Cup will bring fans from across the world to North Texas. With good planning, Dallas can make sure some of that excitement finds its way downtown.
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