Heads up! NPR to feature Dallas next week in a story about the city's identity (San Antonio: neighborhoods, airport)

[Charlestondata]

"When I say Dallas, you say __________." It's a report by Melissa Block about Dallas's efforts to re-brand itself from a sprawling metropolis to a city with a vibrant downtown and a thriving arts scene. She asks if it's working. I'll be listening.

[Considering Coming Back]

One thing that's always bugged me about our identity is how people associate the sprawl around Dallas as being in Dallas. I've been in many conversations where Dallas is thought of as highways, fields, and fast food joints and it turns out those people went to DFW and then a conference in Grapevine.

No one ever says they dislike DC because Dulles is terrible and far away. For whatever reason people don't separate Dallas the city with cool neighborhoods and cultural institutions from "Dallas" the sprawl out by DFW.

[Gilah G.]

When???!

[TheOverdog]

One thing that's always bugged me about our identity is how people associate the sprawl around Dallas as being in Dallas. I've been in many conversations where Dallas is thought of as highways, fields, and fast food joints and it turns out those people went to DFW and then a conference in Grapevine.

No one ever says they dislike DC because Dulles is terrible and far away

Few issues: first Washington DC (to take an example) didn't name their airport "Washington DC", so I think some branding is at play there.

2nd is there is no real distinction between Dallas and it's suburbs, and you really can't tell any real difference between any of the cities. There is no river or visual type barrier that divides Dallas from its suburbs, and the design of all of the suburbs is exactly the same.

3rd outside of the really small downtown area, Dallas is freeways, empty fields (remember the giant field on 75 & Walnut Hill that is just now being developed and the floodplain next to downtown) and stripmalls, fast food, and suburban housing too.

So I don't really blame any one for any of those misconceptions. They are on us and they take a long time to fix.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by TheOverdog

Few issues: first Washington DC (to take an example) didn't name their airport "Washington DC", so I think some branding is at play there.

2nd is there is no real distinction between Dallas and it's suburbs, and you really can't tell any real difference between any of the cities. There is no river or visual type barrier that divides Dallas from its suburbs, and the design of all of the suburbs is exactly the same.

3rd outside of the really small downtown area, Dallas is freeways, empty fields (remember the giant field on 75 & Walnut Hill that is just now being developed and the floodplain next to downtown) and stripmalls, fast food, and suburban housing too.

So I don't really blame any one for any of those misconceptions. They are on us and they take a long time to fix.

I agree with everything you've said.

Plus, the reason Dallas is "regenerating" inner-core areas and densifying because it has no choice but to do so if it wants to increase its population/tax revenue. It's locked in on all sides, so it's trying to get more dense instead. If it wasn't locked in it'd keep spreading San Antonio-style.

[RonnieinDallas]

Originally Posted by Columbiadata

"When I say Dallas, you say __________." It's a report by Melissa Block about Dallas's efforts to re-brand itself from a sprawling metropolis to a city with a vibrant downtown and a thriving arts scene. She asks if it's working. I'll be listening.

This should be interesting. Thanks for sharing!

Originally Posted by Considering Coming Back

One thing that's always bugged me about our identity is how people associate the sprawl around Dallas as being in Dallas. I've been in many conversations where Dallas is thought of as highways, fields, and fast food joints and it turns out those people went to DFW and then a conference in Grapevine.

No one ever says they dislike DC because Dulles is terrible and far away. For whatever reason people don't separate Dallas the city with cool neighborhoods and cultural institutions from "Dallas" the sprawl out by DFW.

I couldn't agree more

Originally Posted by Gilah G.

When???!

https://www.facebook.com/NPR/posts/1...?stream_ref=10

This is all I could find.

Yikes

Some of the comments are pretty harsh on there. While, some of the critisizim is valid, Dallas proper has so many exciting things happening. Too often Dallas gets lumped in with DFW and the entire Metroplex (I really hate that word). I don't really think there is much that Dallas can do to change that.

Anyway, I'll definitely tune in when it's on.

[wallawallahoohoo]

Originally Posted by Considering Coming Back

One thing that's always bugged me about our identity is how people associate the sprawl around Dallas as being in Dallas. I've been in many conversations where Dallas is thought of as highways, fields, and fast food joints and it turns out those people went to DFW and then a conference in Grapevine.

No one ever says they dislike DC because Dulles is terrible and far away. For whatever reason people don't separate Dallas the city with cool neighborhoods and cultural institutions from "Dallas" the sprawl out by DFW.

This bugs me - people in Dallas try to have it both ways. They associate the breadth and size of DFW in terms of population metrics, but then when you lump together all of the outer suburbs and cities as part of the Dallas identity, Dallas has an outrage.

Dallas does not have an identity without its neighboring cities, much like Dallas cannot (and does not) attribute its size and economy without accounting for the entire metropolitan populace. Within city limits alone, Dallas' population is 9th in the US (1.1 million people). Accounting for the entire DFW metroplex, it jumps to 4th, picking up a whopping 5.5 million folks in that statistical measure. That's a 6x multiple on the incorporated city alone. That's an huge spread if you ask me.

Unless people are Dallas natives, far more people will associate Dallas with DFW. I suppose that makes it more "boring" but that's the way it is.

[Brookside]

Thanks to Columbiadata for alerting us to this. I will definitely tune in!

Originally Posted by TheOverdog

Few issues: first Washington DC (to take an example) didn't name their airport "Washington DC", so I think some branding is at play there.

2nd is there is no real distinction between Dallas and it's suburbs, and you really can't tell any real difference between any of the cities. There is no river or visual type barrier that divides Dallas from its suburbs, and the design of all of the suburbs is exactly the same.

3rd outside of the really small downtown area, Dallas is freeways, empty fields (remember the giant field on 75 & Walnut Hill that is just now being developed and the floodplain next to downtown) and stripmalls, fast food, and suburban housing too.

So I don't really blame any one for any of those misconceptions. They are on us and they take a long time to fix.

Just a few comments:

1). It's called DFW as a means to "unite" the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth into one metropolis. Power in numbers and all that, and Dallas was fighting a real inferiority complex when that airport was built.

2). To say that there is no real distinction between, for example, Lakewood (in East Dallas proper) and, for example, the suburb of Frisco is a bit of a rampant over-generalization. They are very distinct areas (and that may be a point that the profile will attempt to make).

3) I would say this is mostly true - but also true of many other cities (been to Minneapolis lately?).


I don't think Dallas will ever escape the stereotype of an overgrown, freeway-driven, surburbia-ridden city until public transportation improves, including and especially rail transport to AT&T stadium where so many events that bring tourists to the area take place.

Did anyone see the thread from the gentleman from KC taking his first trip to DFW to attend the Final Four? I can't help but wonder what his (and countless others) impressions of "Dallas" and "DFW" will be ...

[TheOverdog]

Lakewood (in East Dallas proper) and, for example, the suburb of Frisco is a bit of a rampant over-generalization

Lakewood is a neighborhood and Frisco is a city (suburb, whatever) so you are not comparing at the same level. Frisco has some nice neighborhoods too. If you want a neighborhood on a lake, go west a bit to Lake Lewisville.

true of many other cities (been to Minneapolis lately?).

Yeah, I think it's an artifact of this period of development.

[Considering Coming Back]

Originally Posted by wallawallahoohoo

Within city limits alone, Dallas' population is 9th in the US (1.1 million people). Accounting for the entire DFW metroplex, it jumps to 4th, picking up a whopping 5.5 million folks in that statistical measure. That's a 6x multiple on the incorporated city alone.

You realize every metro region is this way, right? Bay Area has 8M, SF only 800k. DC 6M, DC only 600k. Miami has what 300k for 5M? Even NY tri state has only 1 in 3 residents in the city.