From the perch of my seventh-floor Uptown office, I can see the gleaming vista of a vibrant and growing city. Cranes dot the landscape, local restaurants buzz with activity and newly established greenspaces add color and depth to the glass and concrete business centers of downtown.

But as the economic engine that powers the city of Dallas continues to churn, the essential strands of DNA that bind us together as a city have fractured and separated in such a way that it has become clear that Dallas faces an immediate and existential crisis.

The Communities Foundation of Texas, with the assistance of the Center for Public Policy Priorities, presented to various city leaders and civic organizations what Sarah Cotton Nelson, the chief philanthropy officer of the foundation, called a "comprehensive analysis of economic opportunity in Dallas County."

The report, focusing primarily on demographics, economic opportunity and wellness, is probative, well-crafted and starkly informative.

It is also deeply troubling.

1 / 2Hundreds of families wait for school supplies and health screenings during the Mayor's Back to School Fair on Aug. 4, 2017, at Fair Park in Dallas. (Ben Torres / Special Contributor) 2 / 2Highland Park students show their support during the second half as Mansfield Lake Ridge High School played Highland Park High School at The Star in Frisco during the regional-semifinal round of the UIL football playoffs on Nov. 25, 2016. (Stewart F. House / Special Contributor)

It will come as no surprise to the residents of Dallas that our city is divided. What is shocking is the depth of the institutional segregation that is the primary source of the division. The geographic separation of the citizens of Dallas by race and ethnicity provides the genome sequence for a majority of the ills that we experience now and will continue to experience with greater frequency in the near future. Generally, though not true for every single individual, wealthy Anglos live in the northern and central regions of the county while their less well-off African-American and Hispanic counterparts reside in the southern, eastern and westerns regions of the county.

For all of our wealth and for all of economic success in certain regions of the county, income disparity remains disturbingly high. African-American and Hispanic workers in Dallas County on average make only 54 cents and 58 cents, respectively, for every dollar earned by Anglo workers. Likewise, the median household income for both Hispanic and African-American residents of the county on average is less than 60 percent of the median income of Anglo or Asian households.

The report also shows in exquisite detail that this economic disparity directly and negatively impacts the ability of our children to receive comprehensive and effective education and our citizens to access affordable housing, debt capital, adequate health care and general wellness.

Until we can begin to ameliorate the stark contrasts of these divisions, these racial and economic disparities will serve as a bulwark against our ability to grow and strengthen as a city.

These types of existential policy problems cannot be remedied by ordinary civic policies. The use of TIFs, PIDs and Economic Development Zones, etc., will provide only a slight impact on the entrenched disadvantages that people of color in Dallas face.

To sustain Dallas' growth and to provide equality of opportunity for all of our citizens so that we can continue to be the crown jewel of the Texas Miracle, we will need leaders who can present innovative, new and disruptive solutions to the ancient ills of our city. We need leaders from outside of the current paradigm who aren't trapped in fossilized mindsets of "the way things are done."

As well, Dallas needs leaders who can effectively and efficiently collaborate with the state Legislature and Congress. And we must have city leaders who are of the people, who come from the city, and who share the life experiences of the majority of the citizens of Dallas.

To me, Dallas has always been that shining city that I can see from my office window. To keep Dallas vibrant, growing and strong, we must address head on the age-old problems that could tear our city apart. I know from our history that the people of Dallas are uniquely qualified to confront overwhelming tribulation and to work together so that our community can survive and thrive. The future is now, and it's our job to be the change that Dallas desperately needs.

Jason Villalba is a Republican representing Dallas in the Texas House. He wrote this column for The Dallas Morning News.

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