The Better Block

What can temporary change teach us about the future of our cities?

We partnered with Downtown Dallas, Inc. to create Activate Main Street, an initiative that uses temporary urbanism and the World Cup as ways to test new possibilities for Downtown Dallas in real time. While we could not paint crosswalks, we worked with volunteers to temporarily transform parking spaces into protected curb extensions with parklets designed for people as a place to safely gather, rest, play, explore, and connect.

Temporary demonstrations like this allow cities to move beyond conversation and into experience. Rather than imagining what a more walkable, bikeable, and pediestrain-freindly Downtown could look like, residents and visitors are invited to experience it firsthand.

We purposely installed the activation a few weeks before welcoming World Cup guests because we wanted to test real-world conditions and gather feedback and data from residents and visitors to Downtown. Over the next few weeks, we’re working with community volunteers to gather data on public life, traffic speeds, and safety to better understand how these interventions shape how people move through and interact with Downtown. These temporary projects may only last a few weeks, but they create something lasting: real-world insight, public feedback, and a shared vision for what our streets can become.

Make sure to follow Downtown Dallas Inc. for future events along Main Street this summer, or visit betterblock.org/activatemainstreet to learn more about the data study!

(Drone images: Downtown Dallas Inc. / Lindsay Jones)

For the final leg of our Paris Learning Journey with Reimagining the Civic Commons, we traded in our bikes and took public transit to Hôtel de Ville to visit the Urban Forest at their town hall.

There, we met with Pascal from Ville de Paris, who guided us through their work and shared how urban forests function as civic infrastructure by helping cool the city through connecting neighborhoods.

Our final stop was at Césure with Plateau Urbain, where Adrien Monange and Mathias Rouet welcomed us into a “third place” dedicated to learning, collaboration, and experimentation. Located on the former Censier campus of the Sorbonne-Nouvelle, Césure has been transformed into an open, creative space where knowledge and community intersect. We also had the opportunity to speak with Marion Waller, a member of the Paris City Council and Director of the Pavillon de l’Arsenal, the Center for Urban Planning and Architecture in Paris. An urban planner and philosopher, she previously served as an advisor to the Mayor from 2014 to 2023 and helped lead the “Reinventing Paris” competition, an initiative that reimagined 23 sites across the city.

We closed out the journey with a reflective group workshop, sharing insights and lessons learned, and exploring how these ideas can continue to advance the core goals of Reimagining the Civic Commons.

Across three days in Paris, we explored how policy, design, and community come together to shape a more people-centered city - from riverfronts and bike networks to urban forests and reimagined public spaces.

A special thank you to our incredible translator, Charlotte Burnod, for guiding us throughout the journey and our amazing participants for coming along for the ride!