Coalition For A New Dallas

OUR MISSION We are working to remove the physical and economic barriers that have divided our neighborhoods, reinforced segregation, and stifled economic opportunity. Our short-term goal is to remake Dallas from a city built for commuters to a city built for its residents by reducing the primacy of the automobile, investing in safe and useful choices in mobility, and building neighborhoods where people can live, work and play. Our long-term goal is to restore complete neighborhoods of sufficient density throughout our city where jobs and basic services—housing, transit, schools, parks, and retail—are available within a short distance that is navigable by everyone. A new Dallas is a city that enables its residents to flourish in neighborhoods that are robust and life-enhancing. WE BELIEVE DALLAS NEEDS TO INVEST IN ITS: Physical Capital We need an infrastructure more conducive to the city’s needs and the 21st century. We now have a city built for commuters. We need to rebuild it for residents. We need a downtown that is friendly to pedestrians and encourages people to want to live and play, as well as work, there. We need to connect housing and jobs by bringing them nearer to each other as well as with a transit network that connects them. Social Capital When neighborhoods are cut off and isolated, they deteriorate. Segregation is re-enforced. By reconnecting neighborhoods and encouraging new private investment, we can repopulate vast areas of our city and restore vibrancy to areas long neglected. We should encourage new “downtowns” within the city for people who want to celebrate their ethnic and cultural traditions. Our goal is to rebuild a city of connections, community, and neighborliness. Human Capital We need to invest in our existing residents – in their streets, their sidewalks, and city services. Our intent is plain: to reverse the course of outwards to the north and beyond so that it flows back to downtown and the south. We acknowledge that new investment can have negative impacts. We believe strongly in property tax caps and low-cost home improvement loans so that residents can enjoy the benefits of growth instead of being forced out by it.