Last week I attended the Metromorphosis conference staged by the Dallas Planning Council. The theme for the all-day affair was “Dallas’ Post-Recession Renaissance.” There was a lot of talk about what Dallas needs to do to become a world-class city (cough, cough). I meant to put up a post about my thoughts on all that, but the end of the week got away from me, and now I’m glad I didn’t. Because I couldn’t have said it better than Tamar Wilner, a writer I met at the gig. Tamar came to our fair shores from London. She writes about urban planning and renewable energy. She doesn’t have a driver’s license (or a car). And she wasn’t terribly impressed with where Dallas is in its march toward becoming — COUGH, SPUTTER — a world-class city.
6 comments
“Frustration again, because if such a knowledgeable and well-connected crowd is still dealing in vagaries at this point, what hope then for the average Dallas resident to change their way of life?”
great, great, great point
you should hire her, pronto
She’s great at writing around such words and phrases as “coercive rules”, “onerous regulations” and “encroachment on property rights” that are the prerequisites to carry out such a centrally planned vision, as well as the undermining of the very economy from which funds must be siphoned.
Wouldn’t Dallas be an even more interesting city if we just shackled writers like this to rickshaws with a rider-activated spark plug up the bum of each such helpful advice giver?
Global and green, all in one scene, and we could have a lovely chat en route, too.
I spent a little time in London this summer. Traffic there is bad, too. They even have an extra charge for people who drive into certain parts of the city during rush hour. (The British seem to love taxes and fees!) I did like that London was easy to navigate without a car, but I attribute that to one major thing–London was laid out long before cars became the norm. Also, the cooler climate makes it easier to walk. They do appear to have one problem in common with us–not everyone can afford to live in the city, nor is there room for everyone to live in the city, so it seemed to have a fair share of commuters, too.
Well right back at ya. I am not terribly impressed with her writing or opinions.
She writes, “what hope then for the average Dallas resident to change their way of life?”
I hope that she doesn’t consider herself an “average” Dallas resident. The average Dallas resident OWNS A CAR!
I don’t see why people are hating on this londoner lady.
WELL DUH! London is world class and Dallas isn’t up to London’s standards?
How is that a surprise? You drive around the city and you see 1/3000th the number of pedestrians. No exaggeration. But we have a goal and thats what counts