GREEN SPINE

Greening 2 Miles Of
Public Right of Way

This streetscape transformation will set a new standard for healthy communities, especially in a setting for healing, and it will elevate the District’s status as an economic engine for the City and region.

Harry Hines Boulevard is the primary corridor running through the heart of the SWMD. High-volume traffic at speeds of 45 mph inhibit pedestrian access and contributes to the dysfunction and lack of safety in the area. This signature corridor currently divides the SWMD, but has the opportunity to knit the institutions together through green infrastructure and connected walkways, integrated way finding, and placemaking that will brand the uniqueness of this district. Traffic calming methods and SMART traffic signals will improve safety while still allowing emergency vehicles immediate access to ER facilities. 

The corridor is divided by a large median that will be narrowed down to allow pedestrians, especially those with disabilities, easier access across Harry Hines Boulevard. Healthy, mature trees that grace the back of curb area will be supplemented with newer trees that provide greater biodiversity and capture air particulates. Existing unhealthy trees will be removed and replaced with a variety of species to maintain thermal comfort. 

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As the SWMD’s major thoroughfare, the opportunities for Harry Hines Boulevard to become a unifying Green Spine are extraordinary. Its central location, relevance to traffic mobility, and connection to the Green Park offer an opportunity for the corridor to be transformed into the signature boulevard, or Green Spine, of the SWMD.

AS THE SWMD'S MAJOR NORTH-SOUTH THOROUGHFARE, THE OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE AS THE SOCIAL, PHYSICAL, MENTAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONNECTOR BETWEEN INSTITUTIONS ARE EXTRAORDINARY.

"I do not walk between destinations because of unsafe pedestrian crossing at intersections and the failure of auto traffic to yield to pedestrians."

-SWMD Community Member

“A 2-mile linear natural parkway with an 8-acre central park for health and healing in the Southwestern Medical District embodies the importance and commitment to the City of Dallas’s intention to invest in green spaces that will not only attract new talent and economic opportunities but also transforms an old and neglected 1940s highway into a safe, connected, and heathier medical district.”

-Mayor Eric Johnson 

"It becomes a selling point that you can walk in a connected way through the district with tree coverage. Walking to meetings across campus could be a bigger part of what we’re doing, and it connects to the idea of health and wellness, which we’re all about.”

-SWMD Community Member

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