Dallas, Texas is about to become one of the greenest cities in America – by building one of the country’s largest urban nature parks. Dallas’ new “Nature District” will comprise a staggering 10,000 acres, including 7,000 acres of the Great Trinity Forest. The Trinity River Park designed by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates could revitalize a Dallas floodplain into a lush green recreation space.

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The Trinity River Park will provide visitors with access to playgrounds, lawns, and riverside trails. The design aims to enhance the natural beauty of the area while minimizing flooding damage in Dallas. Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates said they worked with government engineers to ensure the infrastructural soundness of the floodplain so that the park transforms flooding “from a natural disaster into a breathtaking spectacle.”

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1,000 additional acres of the Great Trinity Forest have already been developed into a golf club, the Texas Horse Park, and the Trinity River Audubon Center, which boasts a nature center for kids and event spaces. The Trinity River Park will be part of the Nature District as well.

Another ambitious green project in Dallas is the Trinity Strand Trail, which will connect 73 miles of trails. The first two and a half trail miles opened last year, and plans are in the works to add more miles and connect the existing Katy Trail with the Trinity River.

A $50 million donation gave the Trinity River Park project a boost in late October, and Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings said the park will “redefine Dallas for the 21st century.”

+ Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates

Via Dallas News

Images via Trinity River Dallas Facebook and Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates